The Effect Of Executive Functions On Eventual Prospective Memory And Delayed Execution Of Prospective Memory

Previous research reveals that executive function plays an important role in event-based prospective memory, but how each part of executive function, i.e. inhibition, updating and shifting, affects event-based prospective memory is yet unclear. Event-based prospective memory and delay-execute prospective memory involve some similar processes but also different stages. Up to now, there is rare study on the relationship between executive functioning and delay-execute prospective memory. In the study, 60 college students took part in two prospective memory experiments using dual-task experiment paradigm and delay-execute prospective memory paradigm respectively, as well as a set of frequently used executive tasks: Antissacade Task and Stroop Task for accessing Inhibition, Keep Track Task and Letter-Memory Task for Updating, Plus-Minus Task and Number-Letter Task for Shifting. For data analysis, the difference between event-based prospective memory and delay-execute prospective memory task was compared by using pair-sample t test, and the effect of executive functioning on event-based prospective memory and delay-execute prospective memory are analyzed by employing multiple regression. The results show that the participants performed better in delay-execute prospective memory task than in event-based prospective memory task, and only Shift seems to predict both event-based prospective memory and delay-execute prospective memory. In addition, delay-execute prospective memory correlated significantly with inhibition, with, the possible explanation could be that the delay intervals in delay-execute prospective memory require more inhibition function to keep away from other interrupting factors.