Effects of Episodic Future Thinking and Self-Projection on Children’s Prospective Memory Performance

Abstract

The present study is the first to investigate the benefits of episodic future thinking (EFT) at encoding on prospective memory (PM) in preschool (age: M = 66.34 months, SD = 3.28) and primary school children (age: M = 88.36 months, SD = 3.12). A second aim was to examine if self-projection influences the possible effects of EFT instructions. PM was assessed using a standard PM paradigm in children with a picture-naming task as the ongoing activity in which the PM task was embedded. Further, two first- and two second-order ToM tasks were administered as indicator of children’s self-projection abilities. Forty-one preschoolers and 39 school-aged children were recruited. Half of the participants in each age group were instructed to use EFT as a strategy to encode the PM task, while the others received standard PM instructions. Results revealed a significant age effect, with school-aged children significantly outperforming preschoolers and a significant effect of encoding condition with overall better performance when receiving EFT instructions compared to the standard encoding condition. Even though the interaction between age group and encoding condition was not significant, planned comparisons revealed first evidence that compared to the younger age group, older children’s PM benefitted more from EFT instructions during intention encoding. Moreover, results showed that although self-projection had a significant impact on PM performance, it did not influence the effects of EFT instructions. Overall, results indicate that children can use EFT encoding strategies to improve their PM performance once EFT abilities are sufficiently developed. Further, they provide first evidence that in addition to executive functions, which have already been shown to influence the development of PM across childhood, self-projection seems to be another key mechanism underlying this development.

Temporarily Out of Order: Temporal Perspective Taking in Language in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

“… McCormack and Hoerl, 1999 ; McCormack and Hanley, 2011 ). This explanation is in line with the literature on episodic memory based on the notion of mental time travel ( Suddendorf and Corballis, 2007 ), or mental self-projection ( Kretschmer-Trendowicz et al, 2016 ). Mental time travel involves a shift of the self from the immediate present to an alternative temporal perspective, for example, a past or future perspective ( Buckner and Carroll, 2007 ; Suddendorf and Corballis, 2007 ).…”

Prospective memory (partially) mediates the link between ADHD symptoms and procrastination

“…Similarly, people with better future thinking ability show better PM performance (Nigro et al 2014) and explicit instructions during intention formation to vividly imagine performing the PM task later (i.e. to engage in episodic future thinking during intention encoding), increases PM performance as compared to standard instructions (Altgassen et al 2014c(Altgassen et al , 2017Kretschmer-Trendowicz et al 2016). However, future studies are needed that directly test whether episodic future thinking indeed creates the link between PM and procrastination.…”

On the Nature of Everyday Prospection: A Review and Theoretical Integration of Research on Mind-Wandering, Future Thinking, and Prospective Memory

“… 5. Moreover, success rates can be further increased by forming implementation intentions (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006; McDaniel et al, 2008; McFarland & Glisky, 2012; Meeks & Marsh, 2010; Rummel et al, 2012), or using imagery and mental simulation of intended actions without the verbalisation of “ If X, then Y ” statements (characteristic of implementation intentions) at the initial encoding stage of prospective memory tasks (e.g., Altgassen et al, 2015, 2017; Brewer et al, 2011; Brewer & Marsh, 2010; Kretschmer-Trendowicz et al, 2016, 2019; Neroni et al, 2014). …”