title: Prospective memory and aging: preserved spontaneous retrieval, but impaired deactivation, in older adults.
abstract: Prospective remembering is partially supported by cue-driven spontaneous retrieval processes. We investigated spontaneous retrieval processes in younger and older adults by presenting prospective memory target cues during a lexical decision task following instructions that the prospective memory task was finished. Spontaneous retrieval was inferred from slowed lexical decision responses to target cues (i.e., intention interference). When the intention was finished, younger adults efficiently deactivated their intention, but the older adults continued to retrieve their intentions. Levels of inhibitory functioning were negatively associated with intention interference in the older adult group, but not in the younger adult group. These results indicate that normal aging might not compromise spontaneous retrieval processes but that the ability to deactivate completed intentions is impaired.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899, USA. mscullin@wustl.edu
authors.forename: Michael K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Scullin
authors.forename: Julie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bugg
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McDaniel
authors.forename: Gilles O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Einstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D033182:Intention; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D057190:Stroop Test; D014145:Trail Making Test; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult