CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 22Cognitive Functions and MemoryAging and Gerontology ResearchMemory Processes and Influences

The Sounds of Memory: Extending the Age–Prospective Memory Paradox to Everyday Behavior and Conversations

Open access
Haas, Maximilian, Mehl, Matthias R, Ballhausen, Nicola, Zuber, Sascha, Kliegel, Matthias, Hering, Alexandra·2022·The Journals of Gerontology: Series B
DOI 10.1093/geronb/gbac012
Open this paper in CoChat — free accountOpen PDF

Abstract

Objectives: Around the turn of the millennium, the “age–prospective memory (PM) paradox” challenged the classical assumption that older adults necessarily evidence a marked decline in PM functioning. As previous investigations highlighted ecological validity to be a potential explanation, the present study sought to extend established approaches by using novel real-world assessment technologies to examine PM unobtrusively in everyday-life conversations. Method: Next to laboratory PM tasks, real-life PM performance of 53 younger adults (19–32 years) and 38 older adults (60–81 years) was assessed from three sources: Over 9 days, participants completed an experimenter-given naturalistic task, a diary-based approach assessing self-assigned intentions, as well as an ambulatory assessment with the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), a device that unobtrusively samples ambient sounds to detect spontaneous speech production related to (lapses in) everyday PM. Results: Older adults showed lower performance in laboratory PM only for the time-based task and performed either equally well as or even better than younger adults in everyday PM. With regard to PM performance as captured in real-life ambient audio data, younger adults talked more frequently about PM than older adults, but no significant difference between younger and older adults was found for speech related to PM errors. Discussion: Findings confirmed older adults’ preserved PM performance in everyday life across different indicators with increasing ecological validity. Furthermore, as a novel method to assess conversational PM in everyday life, the EAR opens new insights about the awareness of PM lapses and the communication of intentions in real life.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1093/geronb/gbac012

Cites

2 of 2 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Findings on human memory obtained in experimental and laboratory settings do not always generalize to more ecologically valid real-life settings.

    “it has repeatedly been observed that findings on human memory obtained in experimental and laboratory settings do not always generalize to more ecologically valid real-life settings (e.g., Haas et al., 2022;Wank et al., 2020).”

    From Understanding Autobiographical Memory in the Digital Age: The AMEDIA-Model (2024) · cites this paper as Haas et al., 2022

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 34

  1. Demiray, B., Mehl, M. R., & Martin, M. (2018). Conversational time travel: Evidence of a retrospective bias in real life conversations. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1-18. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02160 · DOI
  2. Demiray, B., Mischler, M., & Martin, M. (2019). Reminiscence in everyday conversations: A naturalistic observation study of older adults. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 74(5), 745-755. doi:10.1093/ geronb/gbx141 · DOI
  3. Dobbs, A. R., & Rule, B. G. (1987). Prospective memory and self- reports of memory abilities in older adults. Canadian Journal of Psychology/Revue Canadienne de Psychologie, 41(2), 209-222. doi:10.1037/h0084152 · DOI
  4. Einstein, G. O., & McDaniel, M. A. (2005). Prospective memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14(6), 286-290. doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2005.00382.x · DOI
  5. Farrell, A. K., Slatcher, R. B., Tobin, E. T., Imami, L., Wildman, D. E., Luca, F., & Zilioli, S. (2018). Socioeconomic status, family neg- ative emotional climate, and anti-inflammatory gene expression among youth with asthma. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 91, 62- 67. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.02.011 · DOI
  6. Haas, M., Zuber, S., Kliegel, M., & Ballhausen, N. (2020). Prospective memory errors in everyday life: Does instruction matter? Memory, 28(2), 196-203. doi:10.1080/09658211.201 9.1707227 · DOI
  7. Haines, S. J., Randall, S. E., Terrett, G., Busija, L., Tatangelo, G., McLennan, S. N., Rose, N. S., Kliegel, M., Henry, J. D., & Rendell, P. G. (2020). Differences in time-based task charac- teristics help to explain the age-prospective memory paradox. Cognition, 202, 104305. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104305 · DOI
  8. Haines, S. J., Shelton, J. T., Henry, J. D., Terrett, G., Vorwerk, T., & Rendell, P. G. (2019). Prospective memory and cogni- tive aging. In B. Knight (Ed.), Oxford research encyclopedia of psychology. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref ore/9780190236557.013.381 · DOI
  9. Henry, J. D., MacLeod, M. S., Phillips, L. H., & Crawford, J. R. (2004). A meta-analytic review of prospective memory and aging. Psychology and Aging, 19(1), 27-39. doi:10.1037/0882-7974.19.1.27 · DOI
  10. Hering, A., Kliegel, M., Rendell, P. G., Craik, F. I. M., & Rose, N. S. (2018). Prospective memory is a key predictor of functional independence in older adults. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 24(6), 640-645. doi:10.1017/ S1355617718000152 · DOI
  11. Ihle, A., Schnitzspahn, K., Rendell, P. G., Luong, C., & Kliegel, M. (2012). Age benefits in everyday prospective memory: The in- fluence of personal task importance, use of reminders and eve- ryday stress. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 19(1-2), 84-101. doi:10.1080/13825585.2011.629288 · DOI
  12. Kliegel, M., Ballhausen, N., Hering, A., Ihle, A., Schnitzspahn, K. M., & Zuber, S. (2016). Prospective memory in older adults: Where we are now and what is next. Gerontology, 62(4), 459-466. doi:10.1159/000443698 · DOI
  13. Kliegel, M., Mackinlay, R., & Jäger, T. (2008). Complex prospec- tive memory: Development across the lifespan and the role of task interruption. Developmental Psychology, 44(2), 612-7. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.44.2.612 · DOI
  14. Manson, J. H., & Robbins, M. L. (2017). New evaluation of the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR): Obtrusiveness, com- pliance, and participant self-selection effects. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 658-658. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00658 · DOI
  15. Meacham, J. A. (1988). Interpersonal relations and prospective memory. In M. M. Gruneberg, P. E. Morris, & R. N. Sykes (Eds.), Practical aspects of memory: Memory of everyday life (pp. 354- 359). Wiley.
  16. Mehl, M. R. (2017). The Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR). Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26(2), 184-190. doi:10.1177/0963721416680611 · DOI
  17. Mogle, J., Muñoz, E., Hill, N. L., Smyth, J. M., & Sliwinski, M. J. (2019). Daily memory lapses in adults: Characterization and influence on affect. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 74(1), 59-68. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbx012 · DOI
  18. Ng, Y. T., Huo, M., Han, S. H., Birditt, K., & Fingerman, K. (2021). Older adult's marital status, conversation frequency, and well-being in everyday life. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 77(3), 499-512. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbab112 · DOI
  19. Niedźwieńska, A., & Barzykowski, K. (2012). The age prospective memory paradox within the same sample in time-based and event-based tasks. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 19(1-2), 58-83. doi:10.1080/13825585.2011.628374 · DOI
  20. Park, D. C., & Reuter-Lorenz, P. (2009). The adaptive brain: Aging and neurocognitive scaffolding. Annual Review of Psychology, 60(1), 173-196. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093656 · DOI · Paper page
  21. Peter, J., & Kliegel, M. (2018). The age-prospective memory paradox: Is it about motivation? Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, 2(2), 1-18. doi:10.1177/2514183x18807103 · DOI
  22. Phillips, L. H., Henry, J. D., & Martin, M. (2008). Adult aging and prospective memory: The importance of ecological validity. In M. Kliegel, M. A. McDaniel, & G. O. Einstein (Eds.), Prospective memory: Cognitive, neuroscience, developmental, and applied perspectives (pp. 161-185).
  23. Polsinelli, A. J., Moseley, S. A., Grilli, M. D., Glisky, E. L., & Mehl, M. R. (2020). Natural, everyday language use provides a window into the integrity of older adults' executive functioning. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 75(9), 215-220. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbaa055 · DOI
  24. Ramírez-Esparza, N., Mehl, M. R., Álvarez-Bermúdez, J., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2009). Are Mexicans more or less sociable than Americans? Insights from a naturalistic observation study. Journal of Research in Personality, 43(1), 1-7. doi:10.1016/j. jrp.2008.09.002 · DOI
  25. Rendell, P. G., & Craik, F. I. M. (2000). Virtual week and actual week: Age-related differences in prospective memory. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 14(7), 43-62. doi:10.1002/acp.770 · DOI
  26. Rendell, P. G., & Thomson, D. M. (1999). Aging and prospec- tive memory: Differences between naturalistic and laboratory tasks. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 54(4), 256-269. doi:10.1093/ geronb/54b. · DOI
  27. p256 Schnitzspahn, K. M., Ihle, A., Henry, J. D., Rendell, P. G., & Kliegel, M. (2011). The age-prospective memory-paradox: An exploration of possible mechanisms. International Psychogeriatrics, 23(4), 583-592. doi:10.1017/S1041610210001651 · DOI
  28. Schnitzspahn, K. M., Kvavilashvili, L., & Altgassen, M. (2020). Redefining the pattern of age-prospective memory-paradox: New insights on age effects in lab-based, naturalistic, and self- assigned tasks. Psychological Research, 84(5), 1370-1386. doi:10.1007/s00426-018-1140-2 · DOI
  29. Schnitzspahn, K. M., Scholz, U., Ballhausen, N., Hering, A., Ihle, A., Lagner, P., & Kliegel, M. (2016). Age differences in prospective memory for everyday life intentions: A diary ap- proach. Memory, 24(4), 444-454. doi:10.1080/09658211.201 5.1018276 · DOI
  30. Tucker-Drob, E. M., Brandmaier, A. M., & Lindenberger, U. (2019). Coupled cognitive changes in adulthood: A meta- analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 145(3), 273-301. doi:10.1037/ bul0000179 · DOI
  31. Voigt, B., Mahy, C. E., Ellis, J., Schnitzspahn, K., Krause, I., Altgassen, M., & Kliegel, M. (2014). The development of time- based prospective memory in childhood: The role of working memory updating. Developmental Psychology, 50(10), 2393- 2404. doi:10.1037/a0037491 · DOI
  32. Wank, A. A., Mehl, M. R., Andrews-Hanna, J. R., Polsinelli, A. J., Moseley, S., Glisky, E. L., & Grilli, M. D. (2020). Eavesdropping on autobiographical memory: A naturalistic observation study of older adults' memory sharing in daily conversations. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14, 238. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2020.00238 · DOI
  33. Wechsler, D. (2008). Wechsler adult intelligence scale-Fourth edi- tion (WAIS-IV). Pearson.
  34. Zeintl, M., Kliegel, M., & Hofer, S. M. (2007). The role of proc- essing resources in age-related prospective and retrospective memory within old age. Psychology and Aging, 22(4), 826-834. doi:10.1037/0882-7974.22.4.826 · DOI

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Haas, M., Mehl, M. R., Ballhausen, N., Zuber, S., Kliegel, M., & Hering, A.
Affiliations
  • University of Geneva (CH)
  • University of Arizona (US)
Corresponding author
Haas, Maximilian
ORCID
Venue
The Journals of Gerontology: Series B
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2022-01-29
Volume
77
Issue
4
Pages
695-703
ISSN
  • 1079-5014 (ISSN-L)
  • 1758-5368
DOI
10.1093/geronb/gbac012
OpenAlex
W4210257514
Cited by
22
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 2
FWCI
3.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model (vor)
Locations
  • The Journals of Gerontology Series B (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UA Campus Repository (The University of Arizona) (acceptedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research portal (Tilburg University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Archive ouverte UNIGE (University of Geneva) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Swiss National Science Foundation (100019_165572)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Keywords
prospective memory, older adults, everyday life, naturalistic assessment, Electronically Activated Recorder, spontaneous speech, conversational memory, ambulatory assessment, ecological validity, memory lapses
MeSH terms
Aged, Aging, Cognition, Communication, Humans, Intention, Memory, Episodic

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review