Publication Date

1998

Abstract

The executive functions of the frontal lobe seem to play an integral role in the mediation of prospective memory, as suggested by the results of recent studies (Shallice & Burgess, 1991; Cockburn, 1995; Shapiro, Shapiro, Alper, & Russell, in press). In the present study two groups were examined in terms of their performance on four different prospective memory tasks. The two groups included younger adults (ages 18-21) and older adults (ages 62-80). Both groups were asked to perform each of four prospective memory tasks (an event-based, disembedded task; an event-based, embedded task; a time-based, disembedded task; and a timebased, embedded task) webbed within a general knowledge quiz. The participants also were tested using the Stroop Test and the Wisconsin Card Sort Task, which have been acknowledged as predictors of frontal lobe dysfunction. The Kaufmann Brief Intelligence Test, the Williams Inhibition Test, and an Immediate Recall Test were also administered. The results indicate that both groups performed significantly poorer on the TD task in comparison to the ED task. This finding suggests that a. deficit in internal cuing and attentional resources may be responsible for a PM performance deficit.

Disciplines

Psychology

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