Transfer-appropriate Processing Effect. Prospective Memory Experimental Research

Prospective memory refers to remembering to carry out an intended action at the appropriate time in the future. The performance of prospective memory is influenced by the relationship between the processing types of ongoing task and prospective memory task. The performance is better when the processing types of ongoing task and prospective memory task are consistent than that when they are not. Using the dual-task experimental pattern, the research explored this kind of phenomena, that is the Transfer Appropriate Process effect (TAP effect for short) in prospective memory, and also analyzed the effect of task importance on prospective memory's TAP. The results were as follows:1. The performance of prospective memory was better when the processing types of ongoing task and prospective memory task were consistent than that when they were not consistent under the condition of perceptual processing ongoing task. There was a clear TAP effect in the prospective memory performance. Under the condition of semantic processing ongoing task, there was no marked difference between the performance when tasks were consistent and that when they were not. TAP effect did not exist.2. The different experimental material and different processing types influenced the TAP effect in prospective memory. When the ongoing task was semantic, TAP effect existed in the accurate rate of prospective memory task; when the ongoing task was perceptual, TAP effect existed in both the accurate rate and the reaction time.3. Task importance influenced the TAP effect in prospective memory performance. When ongoing task was more important than prospective memory task, there was appreciable TAP effect; When prospective memory task was more important, the performances between the condition when the two tasks were consistent and that when they were not consistent did not have marked difference. TAP effect was eliminated to some degree when the importance of prospective memory task was emphasized.4. When the processing types of ongoing task and prospective memory task were consistent, prospective memory performance was less influenced by strategic process, and it depended on automatic process to some degree. When the two tasks were not consistent, prospective memory required more strategic process and was influenced by the available attention resource. This characterized the TAP effect in prospective memory performance.