An investigation into the resource requirements of event-based prospective memory

Loft, Shayne; Yeo, Gillian · 2007 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3758/bf03193447

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Summary

This study investigates the resource requirements of event-based prospective memory (PM), specifically testing the "multiprocess view," which posits that PM relies on either strategic, resource-demanding processes or automatic processes depending on task conditions. The authors hypothesized that PM would be more dependent on cognitive resources under conditions of low cue–response association compared to high association. To evaluate this, they examined response costs in an ongoing lexical decision task and their functional relationship with PM performance across three experiments. The experimental design embedded a PM task within a lexical decision task. Participants were instructed to press a specific key and type a response word when encountering a cue word. In the high-association condition, cue words were strongly associated with response words (e.g., "spaghetti–sauce"), whereas in the low-association condition, pairs were unrelated (e.g., "thread–sauce"). Experiment 1 established baseline response times. Experiments 2 and 3 introduced manipulations to decrease preparatory attention: Experiment 2 varied the relative importance of the ongoing task versus the PM task, while Experiment 3 manipulated the frequency of cue presentation. The researchers analyzed response times (RTs) on noncue trials to measure preparatory attention and RTs on cue trials to measure retrospective memory processes. The results provided mixed support for the multiprocess view. Analyses of ongoing task RTs indicated that processes engaged on cue trials were significantly more resource-demanding under low-association conditions than high-association conditions, consistent with the theory's prediction that cue detection and retrieval are more automatic when associations are strong. However, contrary to predictions, the allocation of resources immediately prior to cue presentation (preparatory attention) did not differ significantly between low- and high-association conditions. Furthermore, PM performance data were largely unaffected by cue–response association; declines in PM performance due to task-importance and cue-frequency manipulations were comparable across both association conditions. This suggests that while cue processing itself is less resource-intensive in high-association contexts, the overall strategic monitoring required for PM remains similar. These findings have significant implications for theories of prospective memory. The data support the claim that PM can be more resource-demanding under specific conditions, particularly regarding the processing of the cue itself. However, the lack of difference in preparatory attention and PM performance across association levels challenges the notion that high association fully automates the strategic monitoring component of PM. The results suggest that while reflexive-associative processes may facilitate cue retrieval, individuals still engage in resource-consuming preparatory attention regardless of cue–response association strength. This nuance refines the multiprocess view, indicating that automaticity may be limited to specific subprocesses rather than the entire PM mechanism.

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• prospective memory interruptions