title: Prospective memory in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders: exploring effects of implementation intentions and retrospective memory load.
abstract: This study examined, for the first time, the impact of implementation intentions on prospective memory (PM) performance in adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and further explored the role of retrospective memory for PM in ASD. PM was assessed with Virtual Week, a computerized game simulating upcoming everyday-life tasks. Twenty-seven adults with ASD and 27 age- and ability-matched controls were included. Half of the participants were instructed to form implementation intentions (i.e., encoding PM tasks in form of if-then statements), while the rest received simple PM instructions. Results provide first tentative evidence for beneficial effects of implementation intentions and PM tasks with low demands on retrospective memory for adults with ASD's PM. Overall, results point to the importance of planning and retrospective memory for successful prospective remembering in ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: anett.kretschmer@tu-dresden.de.
authors.forename: Anett
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kretschmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany; Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mareike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Altgassen
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Rendell
authors.affiliation: Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND) at Karolinska Institutet, Pediatric Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm County Council, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bölte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Asperger syndrome; Cognition; Executive function; Implementation intentions; Memory for intentions; Planning abilities; Retrospective memory load