Bugg Julie M, Scullin Michael K, Rauvola Rachel S
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis.
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University.
Psychol Aging. 2016 Jun;31(4):358-69. doi: 10.1037/pag0000087. Epub 2016 Apr 11.
In young adults, it has been shown that prospective memory (PM) commission errors, the erroneous performance of a previously relevant intention, are less likely for repeatedly performed intentions (than never performed intentions). We examined whether this pattern holds for older adults, for whom impaired response inhibition processes might heighten risk of commission errors for repeatedly performed PM intentions. Older adults encoded a PM intention to press a key when a target word appeared during an ongoing lexical decision task. Target words were presented 4 (repeatedly) or 0 times before participants were instructed the PM task was finished and should not be performed again. Target words were then (re)presented and commission errors were recorded. Experiment 1 demonstrated it was easier for older adults to forget (deactivate) a PM intention that was performed repeatedly (4-target condition) than one that was never performed (0-target condition). However, older adults were more likely to make commission errors than young adults in the 4- but not the 0-target condition. Experiments 2 and 3 examined whether distinct strategies reduce commission errors. Whereas a preparatory instructional strategy produced inconsistent effects, forgetting practice was highly effective in producing floor levels of commission errors for older and young adults in the 4-target condition. Findings are interpreted within the dual-mechanisms account of PM commission errors, which highlights the interplay of spontaneous retrieval and cognitive control in the forgetting of previously relevant intentions. Practically, the findings provide first evidence of a translational strategy that older adults may use to minimize commission errors. (PsycINFO Database Record
在年轻人中，研究表明前瞻记忆（PM）执行错误，即先前相关意图的错误执行，对于重复执行的意图（相比于从未执行过的意图）发生的可能性更小。我们研究了这种模式是否适用于老年人，对于他们来说，反应抑制过程受损可能会增加重复执行的前瞻记忆意图出现执行错误的风险。老年人在进行一项正在进行的词汇判断任务时，当出现目标词时编码一个按下按键的前瞻记忆意图。在告知参与者前瞻记忆任务已完成且不应再执行之前，目标词会呈现4次（重复呈现）或0次。然后再次呈现目标词并记录执行错误。实验1表明，老年人更容易忘记（停用）重复执行的前瞻记忆意图（4次目标词条件），而不是从未执行过的意图（0次目标词条件）。然而，在4次目标词条件下，老年人比年轻人更有可能出现执行错误，但在0次目标词条件下并非如此。实验2和实验3研究了不同的策略是否能减少执行错误。虽然一种预备性指导策略产生的效果不一致，但遗忘练习在使4次目标词条件下的老年人和年轻人的执行错误降至最低水平方面非常有效。研究结果是在前瞻记忆执行错误的双机制理论框架内进行解释的，该理论强调了在遗忘先前相关意图时自发检索和认知控制的相互作用。实际上，这些发现首次证明了一种老年人可能用来尽量减少执行错误的转换策略。（PsycINFO数据库记录）
