The Development of Prospective Memory Across Adolescence: A Behavioural and Event-Related Potential Analysis
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Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Shum, David
Cutmore, Timothy
Year published
2016
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Remembering to carry out a planned intention in some point in the future (e.g., pass a message to a friend) is an important cognitive function vital for day-to-day functioning. This cognitive function is referred to as Prospective memory (PM) and is considered to be essential for autonomous behaviour. Although there has been extensive research into the decline of PM in older adulthood, little is known about the
developmental trajectory of PM throughout adolescence, a time of important brain maturation. Research in the development of PM across adolescence has been limited, and the previous studies that have examined PM ...
View more >Remembering to carry out a planned intention in some point in the future (e.g., pass a message to a friend) is an important cognitive function vital for day-to-day functioning. This cognitive function is referred to as Prospective memory (PM) and is considered to be essential for autonomous behaviour. Although there has been extensive research into the decline of PM in older adulthood, little is known about the developmental trajectory of PM throughout adolescence, a time of important brain maturation. Research in the development of PM across adolescence has been limited, and the previous studies that have examined PM development in adolescents have yielded inconsistent findings. Therefore in the present thesis, the development of PM was examined in 85 participants across the following groups: 12- to 13-year-olds (n = 22), 14- to 15-year-olds (n = 23), 16- to 17-year-olds (n = 20), and 18- to 19-year-olds (n = 28). A series of three studies were conducted to examine the specific processes that contribute to PM development in adolescence. The aim of Study 1 was to examine the development of PM across adolescence using an event-based PM task that varied in cue frequency. More specifically, a 6-cue (10 min) and a 30-cue (30 min) event-based PM task (with font-colour stimuli as PM cues) and a lexical-decision for the ongoing task were used. By manipulating the cue frequency, this study could clarify the basis of any observed age-related difference of PM performance in adolescence. In addition, a retrospective memory (RM) task (viz., Hopkins Verbal Learning Test Revised [HVLT-R]) was administered to see if RM and PM have a different developmental trajectory in adolescence.
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View more >Remembering to carry out a planned intention in some point in the future (e.g., pass a message to a friend) is an important cognitive function vital for day-to-day functioning. This cognitive function is referred to as Prospective memory (PM) and is considered to be essential for autonomous behaviour. Although there has been extensive research into the decline of PM in older adulthood, little is known about the developmental trajectory of PM throughout adolescence, a time of important brain maturation. Research in the development of PM across adolescence has been limited, and the previous studies that have examined PM development in adolescents have yielded inconsistent findings. Therefore in the present thesis, the development of PM was examined in 85 participants across the following groups: 12- to 13-year-olds (n = 22), 14- to 15-year-olds (n = 23), 16- to 17-year-olds (n = 20), and 18- to 19-year-olds (n = 28). A series of three studies were conducted to examine the specific processes that contribute to PM development in adolescence. The aim of Study 1 was to examine the development of PM across adolescence using an event-based PM task that varied in cue frequency. More specifically, a 6-cue (10 min) and a 30-cue (30 min) event-based PM task (with font-colour stimuli as PM cues) and a lexical-decision for the ongoing task were used. By manipulating the cue frequency, this study could clarify the basis of any observed age-related difference of PM performance in adolescence. In addition, a retrospective memory (RM) task (viz., Hopkins Verbal Learning Test Revised [HVLT-R]) was administered to see if RM and PM have a different developmental trajectory in adolescence.
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Thesis Type
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Degree Program
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
School of Applied Psychology
Copyright Statement
The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
Item Access Status
Public
Subject
Prospective memory
Cognitive functioning
Prospective memory across adolescence