Age Differences in Output Monitoring Accuracy in a Prospective Memory Task

Age Differences in Output Monitoring Accuracy in a Prospective Memory Task
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Published on 2007 by ProQuest

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Output monitoring refers to memory for whether or not an intended action has been completed. Failures in output monitoring can lead to action repetitions, action omissions, or checking behavior. Very few studies have examined age-associated deficits in output monitoring. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate age-associated differences in output monitoring in prospective memory tasks, specifically examining the role of pre-exposure, habit, and attention on output-monitoring accuracy. Four experiments with younger and older adults were conducted to investigate the role of these variables. A picture-based prospective memory task with an output monitoring component was used in this investigation. In this task participants had to categorize pictures as living or nonliving. When they came across a target they were to press an additional key; if a target repeated and they could remember having already responded to that target they were to press a different key. Across a variety of experimental manipulations, older adults were less accurate in output monitoring and primarily committed errors of repetition. In some cases the rates of these errors were as high as 60%. Pre-exposure to targets resulted in worse output monitoring accuracy for both younger and older adults. Habit had no significant effect on output-monitoring performance. The amount of attention required for a task was found to mediate age differences in output-monitoring performance. Older adults had fewer output-monitoring errors in a modified instruction condition that reduced the attentional requirements of the task compared with a normal instruction condition; young adults were unaffected by the change in instructions. These findings have important potential applications in reducing output-monitoring errors in natural settings. Reducing distractions when performing actions that need to be remembered may improve output-monitoring accuracy.

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