Retrieval of performed versus to-be-performed tasks: A naturalistic study of the intention-superiority effect in normal aging and dementia

✍ Scribed by Elizabeth A. Maylor; Richard J. Darby; Sergio Della Sala

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 141 KB
• Volume: 14
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0888-4080
• DOI: 10.1002/acp.772

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Maylor et al. (in press a) reported a long‐term intention‐superiority effect whereby young adults reported significantly more to‐be‐performed than performed tasks in a speeded written fluency task. Two experiments investigated whether this effect is also present in older adults and dementia patients. In Experiment 1, middle‐aged (n = 40) and older adults (n = 44) were given a minute to recall what they did in the last few days (performed tasks), and a minute to recall what they intended to do in the next few days (to‐be‐performed tasks). There was no intention‐superiority effect for the middle‐aged adults but there was a significant intention‐inferiority effect for the older adults. Verbal rather than written recall was used in Experiment 2 to compare young adults (n = 30), older adults (n = 19), and patients with Alzheimer's disease (n = 22). There was an intention‐superiority effect for young adults, but not for older adults or dementia patients. The absence of an intention‐superiority effect may contribute to the decline in prospective memory performance seen in both normal aging and dementia. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.