Prospective memory: Relationship to age and retrospective memory in the learning and memory battery (LAMB)

Abstract

Sixty-four individuals were given the Learning and Memory Battery (LAMB), which consists of a series of retrospective learning tasks. Embedded within the LAMB was a prospective memory task, requiring individuals to respond with a different word or phrase (target response) each time one of the LAMB subtests was introduced. The impact of retrospective memory, as well as age, on prospective memory was examined. An age-associated decrease in performance occurred on both the prospective and retrospective memory tests. The decreased ability of the older subjects to spontaneously recall target words on the prospective memory task was due to a failure to retrieve previously learned information rather than a failure to learn the target words. The results of a stepwise multiple regression analysis, in which age was forced into the equation first, showed a significant relationship between prospective and retrospective memory. The clinical implications of the results were discussed.