A Study On The Influence Mechanism Of Material Characteristics On The Aftereffects Of Prospective Memory Intentions

The aftereffects of prospective memory refer to the phenomenon that the prospective memory task is completed,the individual repeats the completed prospective memory intention wrongly,or the completed prospective memory intention interferes with the ongoing task.Aftereffects of prospective memory will produce a series of negative effects in daily life.Therefore,it is of theoretical and practical significance to explore the mechanism of aftereffects of prospective memory and the methods to reduce its occurrence.In this study,we combined the ERPs with the prospective memory task paradigm,and used undergraduate students as subjects to measure the aftereffects of prospective memory using repeated execution error and intention interference effect.Through three series of experiments,we investigated the influence of material characteristics on the aftereffects of prospective memory.Experiment 1 explored the influence of different material types on the aftereffects of prospective memory.The results showed that the aftereffects of prospective memory of picture group was more significant.The average amplitude induced by the processing of word materials was larger,and the brain regions of the picture group and the word group were different.In the 300-500 ms and 700-900 ms window,the average amplitude of the word group in the front and middle of the head electrode was larger,while in the picture group,the average amplitude of the back of the head was significantly larger than that of the word group.In Experiment 2,added the variable of material potency to investigate the interaction between material potency and material type on the aftereffect of prospective memory.The results showed that the correct rate of the negative material group was significantly lower than the positive material group,and the positive material group needed longer time to respond correctly.The average wave amplitude of the negative material at the electrode point behind the head is larger in the 300-500 ms window,the average wave amplitude induced by the positive material at the front of the head is larger,and the average wave amplitude induced by the negative material in the 700-900 ms window is larger.Experiment 3 investigated the effectiveness of material cues in reducing the aftereffects,aiming to improve prospective memory performance as well as decline the aftereffects of prospective memory.The results showed that the reduction of repeated execution error in the passive cueing group was significantly greater than that in the active cueing group and the no-cueing group.The ERPs results showed that the mean amplitude of the different material cueing groups in the time window of 300-500 ms and 700-900 ms had no significant difference.The conclusions of this study are as follows:(1)the occurrence of commission errors in picture group was significantly higher than that in word group,and more cognitive resources were needed to process word materials;(2)In the negative material group,the aftereffect of prospective memory intention was more significant,and the processing of negative material required more cognitive resources;(3)passive cues significantly reduced the occurrence of commission errors,while active cues also significantly reduced the commission errors;(4)the generation of aftereffects of prospective memory might be caused by stimulus-response connection,which supported the view of spontaneous retrieval;(5)intention priority effect appeared in the completion stage of prospective memory,and the inhibition of the original prospective cue might not consume cognitive resources,which supported the representation coverage view of intention inhibition.