Abstract
Prospective memory (PM) involves remembering to perform intended actions in the future. PM failures are especially problematic for older adults, both in terms of frequency of occurrence and severity of consequences. As such, we tackle the challenge of developing a cognitive training program for PM specifically geared toward older adults. Departing from other popular cognitive trainings, our focus has been and continues to be on teaching effective and efficient strategies with the intention of promoting transfer to real-world PM challenges. We discuss several considerations in cognitive training including matching the type of PM task (focal or non-focal) with effective strategies, variability and characteristics of training materials, and differences in methods used to train strategies. For example, training can involve explicit direct instruction or guided instruction aimed at helping a person self-generate and self-evaluate strategy effectiveness. Existing data and ongoing work aimed at identifying the key intervention components that enhance successful outcomes are presented. A pilot metacognitive strategy intervention that guides participants in analysis of task demands and self-generation of strategies is described, along with future directions for research.
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Acknowledgments
A special thanks is extended to Mercy College Occupational Therapy (OT) students Kim Havel, Mary Tremmel, Teresa Sanchez, and Hasena Punwasie for their assistance with the guided metacognitive strategy pilot project. The authors would also like to thank Deborah Koh for her help with the current prospective memory training work at Washington University. Some of the research discussed was supported by the National Institute on Aging Grant T32 AG000030 awarded to SU.
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Umanath, S., Toglia, J., McDaniel, M.A. (2016). Prospective Memory. In: Strobach, T., Karbach, J. (eds) Cognitive Training. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42662-4_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42662-4_8
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