title: Improving the reliability of event-based laboratory tests of prospective memory.
abstract: Laboratory tests of event-based prospective memory (ProM) require participants to perform actions in response to infrequent cues in a background task. We conducted three experiments to assess and improve the reliability of this popular procedure. In Experiment 1, we tested college students on 2 separate days and found that the alternate-forms reliability of ProM accuracy was quite low (r = .31), although general knowledge accuracy was more reliable (r = .89). In Experiment 2, a statistically significant difference in reliability emerged between conditions with a low (n = 6) versus a high (n = 30) number of ProM targets. Finally, lower ProM accuracy increased reliability in Experiment 3. Adopting these straightforward changes may enhance the search for individual differences in ProM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, California State University, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840-0901, USA. wkelemen@csulb.edu
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Kelemen
authors.forename: W Bailey
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: Hannah S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Alford
authors.forename: Emily K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Mulvey
authors.forename: Kevin F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Kaeochinda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D011581:Psychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013997:Time Factors