Assessing time-based prospective memory online: A comparison study between laboratory-based and web-based testing

Laera, Gianvito; Hering, Alexandra; Kliegel, Matthias · 2023 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1177/17470218231220578

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

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Summary

This study investigates the validity of online assessment for time-based prospective memory (TBPM), a cognitive function involving the ability to remember to perform actions at specific future times. While prospective memory is traditionally assessed in controlled laboratory settings, remote testing has gained popularity due to accessibility and logistical constraints. However, TBPM presents unique challenges for online administration because time monitoring—the strategic checking of time cues—is difficult to standardize without experimental control over environmental distractions. The authors aimed to determine whether behavioral outcomes from a traditional laboratory TBPM paradigm are comparable to those obtained in a fully self-administered online setting. The researchers conducted a comparison study involving 101 younger adults (aged 18–35), split into two groups: 52 participants completed the task in a laboratory, and 49 completed it online. Participants performed a lexical decision task as an ongoing activity while simultaneously executing a TBPM task, which required pressing a key every two minutes. They could freely check a digital clock on the screen. The study measured TBPM accuracy, time monitoring patterns (frequency of clock checks), and ongoing task performance (accuracy and reaction times). Statistical analyses controlled for age, gender, and education to account for demographic differences between the groups. The results indicated no significant differences between the laboratory and online settings regarding TBPM accuracy or time monitoring patterns. In both conditions, participants exhibited a characteristic "J-shaped" monitoring curve, checking the clock infrequently at the start of the interval and increasing checks strategically as the target time approached. However, participants in the laboratory setting demonstrated faster reaction times and higher accuracy on the ongoing lexical decision task compared to those tested online. Crucially, the analysis of prospective memory costs—defined as the interference in ongoing task performance caused by holding the intention in mind—revealed no significant difference between settings. This suggests that the lower ongoing task performance online was due to general distractibility rather than the cognitive load of maintaining the prospective intention. The findings suggest that online assessment yields reliable and valid results for key TBPM characteristics, including accuracy and strategic time monitoring, comparable to laboratory standards. The study concludes that while remote participants may be generally more distracted during background tasks, this does not compromise the integrity of the prospective memory measures themselves. These results support the use of online platforms for TBPM research, offering a viable alternative that maintains ecological validity for core temporal and behavioral metrics while overcoming the logistical barriers of laboratory testing.

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• prospective memory interruptions