Studies of age differences in event-based prospective memory indicate wide variation in the magnitude of age effects. One explanation derived from the multiprocess framework proposes that age differences depend on whether the cue to carry out a prospective intention is focal to ongoing task processing. A meta-analysis of 117 effect sizes from 4,709 participants provided evidence for this view, as age effects were greater when the prospective cue to the ongoing task was nonfocal compared with when it was focal. However, the results only support a weaker but not a stronger prediction of the multiprocess framework, as age impairments were reliably above zero for both types of retrieval cues.

No abstract

Single-process models of recognition memory posit that recognizing is based on a unidimensional value of global memory strength. By contrast, dual-process models propose the existence of two independent processes subserving the explicit recognition of previously encountered episodes, namely "familiarity" and "recollection." Familiarity represents a noncontextual form of recognition that may only support the retrieval of associative information when the to-be-associated information can be unitized, such as when two photographs depicting the same person are memorized (intra-item associations). Conversely, recollection enables retrieving associations between arbitrarily linked information, such as associations between photographs of different persons (inter-item associations). By measuring event-related brain potentials (ERPs), we obtained a double dissociation of familiarity and recollection that strongly favors dual-process accounts of recognition memory: the electrophysiological correlate of familiarity was significantly larger for intra- than for inter-item associations. Conversely, the electrophysiological correlate of recollection was significantly larger for inter- than for intra-item associations.

The authors introduce a screening instrument that assesses cognitive-function domains across adulthood over the telephone. The authors administered the Cognitive Telephone Screening Instrument (COGTEL) to 81 younger adults (M = 25.6 years) and 83 older adults (M = 66.9 years). Each participant completed the COGTEL twice, once over the telephone and once in a face-to-face assessment. The authors (a) analyzed the degree of agreement between face-to-face and telephone COGTEL scores, (b) developed a COGTEL Total score that reflects global cognitive functioning, and (c) examined concurrent validity. The method of administration did not largely influence mean levels, rank orders, or factor structure as revealed by confirmatory factor analysis. Moreover, age differences were not modulated by the form of administration. The distribution of COGTEL Total scores followed a Gaussian function, which prevents COGTEL from being limited by ceiling effects. The results provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the COGTEL to assess cognitive functioning in large-scale epidemiological studies, longitudinal studies, and clinical follow-up among healthy adults.

Prospective memory (PM) reflects the product of cognitive processes associated with the formation, retention, delayed initiation, and execution of intentions. It has been proposed that developmental changes in PM across the lifespan are heavily dependent upon the developmental trajectory of executive control functions. This study is the first to apply a complex PM task to children, young adults, and older adults. The procedure allows for the assessment of each of the 4 phases of PM. During intention execution, the authors additionally manipulated whether participants had to actively interrupt attention to the current 'ongoing' task in order to switch to the execution of the next intended task. Group differences mirroring inverted U-shaped functions were observed in those phases conceptualized as relying on executive control (intention formation, initiation, and execution). Age differences in intention execution were substantially greater when active task interruption was necessary. The current study provides the first evidence of growth and decline of complex PM across the lifespan and suggests that the degree of inhibitory control needed to succeed in the task may be one factor underlying this development.