Relationship between Working Memory, Retrospective Memory and Strategic Monitoring with Prospective Memory Performance

Pakyürek, Gün; Tavat, Banu Cangöz · 2023 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.18863/pgy.1353527

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

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Summary

This study investigates the interplay between working memory, retrospective memory, strategic monitoring, and prospective memory performance. Prospective memory involves remembering to perform intended actions in the future, a process theorized to rely on both retrospective memory (recalling the content of the intention) and preparatory attention processes (monitoring for cues). The research aims to determine how working memory capacity and the cognitive demands of strategic monitoring and retrospective memory load influence prospective memory outcomes, specifically distinguishing between time-based and event-based tasks. The study utilized a sample of 120 university students (60 female, 60 male) with an average age of 21.51 years. Participants were screened using the Beck Depression Inventory, with those scoring 17 or above excluded to control for depression as a confounding variable. Additionally, individuals with histories of neurological or psychiatric disorders or current psychiatric medication use were excluded. Working memory was assessed using an auditory 2-back task. Prospective memory was measured using the computerized Virtual Week task, which simulates daily life activities over three virtual days. This task included regular (routine) and irregular (non-routine) tasks, as well as event-based and time-based cues, allowing for the manipulation of retrospective memory load and strategic monitoring demands. Statistical analyses included correlation, regression, and repeated measures ANOVA. Results indicated that working memory performance significantly predicted prospective memory performance ($\beta = .30, p < .05$), explaining 9% of the variance. Specifically, working memory showed a significant positive correlation with time-based prospective memory tasks but no significant relationship with event-based tasks. The analysis revealed significant main effects for both strategic monitoring and retrospective memory, as well as a significant interaction effect ($\eta_p^2 = .45$). Performance was significantly higher for event-based tasks compared to time-based tasks, and for regular tasks compared to irregular tasks. The lowest performance was observed in irregular time-based tasks, which require high strategic monitoring and high retrospective memory load. Conversely, regular event-based tasks yielded the highest accuracy. These findings support the multiple processes perspective and the preparatory attention and memory processes theory. The results suggest that working memory plays a critical role in prospective memory tasks that require high strategic monitoring, such as time-based tasks, where cues are not externally focal. In contrast, event-based tasks rely more on automatic retrieval processes, reducing the dependency on working memory resources. Furthermore, the increased cognitive load associated with irregular tasks (higher retrospective memory demand) and time-based cues (higher monitoring demand) significantly impairs performance. The study confirms the Virtual Week as a reliable tool for assessing prospective memory and highlights the distinct cognitive mechanisms underlying different types of prospective memory tasks.

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• prospective memory interruptions