Construct validity and age sensitivity of prospective memory

Salthouse, Timothy A.; Berish, Diane E.; Siedlecki, Karen L. · 2004 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3758/bf03196887

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Summary

This study investigates the construct validity and age sensitivity of prospective memory, addressing debates regarding whether it represents a distinct cognitive domain or merely a label for various planned actions. The authors aimed to determine if prospective memory measures exhibit convergent and discriminant validity, how they relate to other cognitive abilities and noncognitive factors, and whether age-related declines in prospective memory are unique or mediated by other cognitive changes. The researchers administered four prospective memory tasks to 330 adults aged 18 to 89. These tasks included a time-based "red pencil" task, an event-based drawing classification task, and two other measures involving different primary activities and target stimuli. Participants also completed a battery of tests assessing five reference cognitive abilities: fluid intelligence (combining reasoning and spatial visualization), episodic memory, perceptual speed, vocabulary, and executive functioning. Additionally, participants completed the NEO Five-Factor Personality Inventory and a modified Memory Functioning Questionnaire to assess personality traits and self-reported memory problems. The study utilized confirmatory factor analysis models to evaluate construct validity and a multiple-ability mediational model to analyze age-related influences. The results indicated that the four prospective memory measures exhibited both convergent and discriminant validity, supporting the existence of a distinct prospective memory construct. This construct was significantly related to executive functioning, fluid intelligence, episodic memory, and perceptual speed, but only weakly related to self-rated memory problems and personality traits. Regarding aging, while a substantial proportion of age-related variance in prospective memory was shared with other cognitive abilities, the analysis revealed statistically significant, unique age-related influences on prospective memory that remained after accounting for indirect effects through other cognitive constructs. The findings suggest that prospective memory is a coherent and distinct dimension of individual differences, separate from retrospective memory and personality traits. Although prospective memory is closely linked to broader cognitive abilities like executive function and processing speed, it is not entirely reducible to them. The identification of unique age-related influences implies that prospective memory may require specific explanations for age-related decline beyond general cognitive slowing or decline in other domains. This supports the view that prospective memory is a well-defined domain with implications for independent living and daily functioning in older adults.

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• prospective memory interruptions