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Implementation Intentions Improve Prospective Memory and Inhibition Performances in Older Adults: The Role of Visualization
Author(s) -
Burkard Christina,
Rochat Lucien,
Emmenegger Joëlle,
Juillerat Van der Linden AnneClaude,
Gold Gabriel,
Van der Linden Martial
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
applied cognitive psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.719
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1099-0720
pISSN - 0888-4080
DOI - 10.1002/acp.3046
Subject(s) - prospective memory , psychology , impulsivity , task (project management) , working memory , everyday life , developmental psychology , cognition , cognitive psychology , psychiatry , management , political science , law , economics
Summary Implementation intentions have been shown to be a very effective strategy in improving prospective memory in older adults. However, their efficacy in improving inhibition has never been assessed in aging. We thus examined the efficacy of implementation intentions in a prospective memory task and an inhibition task in 87 older participants. Following a crossover design, half of the participants were instructed to form an implementation intention in the prospective memory task, the other half in the inhibition task. The moderating role of working memory, visualization and verbalization habits, and impulsivity were also assessed. Regression analyses revealed that for both tasks, participants benefited from implementation intentions but only if they were used to using visual strategies in daily life. The efficacy of implementation intentions was not moderated by working memory, impulsivity, or the use of verbal strategies in everyday life. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.