Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland.
Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, Université de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland.
J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2018 Jul;24(6):640-645. doi: 10.1017/S1355617718000152. Epub 2018 Apr 2.
Prospective memory (PM), the ability to execute delayed intentions, has received increasing attention in neuropsychology and gerontology. Most of this research is motivated by the claim that PM is critical for maintaining functional independence; yet, there is a dearth of empirical evidence to back up the claims. Thus, the present study tested whether PM predicts functional independence in older adults using validated behavioral performance measures for both PM and functional independence.
Fifty-eight healthy older adults performed a computerized PM paradigm, the Virtual Week task, as well as a timed version of an instrumental activities of daily living (TIADL) task. Furthermore, we assessed vocabulary, processing speed, and self-reported prospective remembering.
TIADL scores correlated significantly with performance in the Virtual Week task, vocabulary, and processing speed. Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that vocabulary and Virtual Week performance were significant predictors for TIADL. However, self-reported PM scores did not predict everyday functioning.
The findings indicate that PM is an important cognitive ability for successful and independent everyday life beyond vocabulary. Moreover, the results show a substantial incremental contribution of intact PM performance for the prediction of everyday functioning by using objective PM measures. (JINS, 2018, 24, 640-645).
前瞻性记忆（PM），即执行延迟意图的能力，在神经心理学和老年学中受到越来越多的关注。这项研究的大部分动机是基于 PM 对于维持功能独立性至关重要的说法；然而，没有足够的经验证据来支持这些说法。因此，本研究使用 PM 和功能独立性的经过验证的行为表现测量来测试 PM 是否可以预测老年人的功能独立性。
58 名健康的老年人完成了一项计算机化的 PM 范式，即虚拟周任务，以及一项日常生活活动的计时版（TIADL）任务。此外，我们评估了词汇、处理速度和自我报告的前瞻性记忆。
TIADL 分数与虚拟周任务、词汇和处理速度的表现显著相关。分层线性回归显示，词汇和虚拟周表现是 TIADL 的重要预测因素。然而，自我报告的 PM 分数并不能预测日常功能。
这些发现表明，PM 是成功和独立日常生活的重要认知能力，超越了词汇。此外，结果显示，使用客观的 PM 测量，完整的 PM 表现对日常功能的预测具有实质性的增量贡献。（JINS，2018，24，640-645）。
