Prospective memory: characteristics and associated mental processes

What is prospective memory and how does this cognitive process work? Let's take a look.

What would we do without memory? Memory shapes our life history and forms part of our identity. It is true that when we hear about memory, we tend to think of the past. However, there is another type of memory that is oriented towards the future: prospective memory..

This type of memory allows us to store plans and intentions for the future. For example, it allows us to remember what to do tomorrow, to plan the day and to carry out our plans. In this article we will learn what this type of "future" memory consists of, its components and what it is used for.

What is prospective memory?

Memory is a function of the brain that allows us to use information from our environment (and from within ourselves) in a variety of ways: it allows us to encode it, store it, and retrieve it.. According to some theories, memory arises from repetitive synaptic connections that form between our neurons, creating neural networks.

Memory is very important to our identity, because it largely defines who we are; moreover, it is a function that we use constantly, in practically all our daily activities.

However, memory is not only about knowing and remembering things from the past, but it also allows us to store future-oriented plans and intentions in our brains. Two authors, Kvavilashvili and Ellis, in 1996, gave a name to this type of memory: prospective memory.

They defined it as "the memory of doing something at a specific time in the future and the execution of the previously formulated plan". In other words, it includes two components: a more theoretical one (remembering) and a more practical one (executing the plan thought out)..

Models

Taxonomic models consider prospective memory as a part of episodic or autobiographical memory; the latter, in turn, consider that it is also divided into retrospective (past-oriented) memory, together with prospective (future-oriented) memory.

According to these models, autobiographical memory makes us aware of our past, and prepares us to act in the future. prepares us to act in the future. This is considered an important evolutionary advance, since the information of what we have lived through is fundamental for self-awareness.

Self-consciousness includes a unique past, personal and proper, and a future also proper, which makes us identify or not with what we are living and remembering.

What is this memory for?

On a cognitive and experiential level, we have already seen how memory plays an essential role in all of us. Specifically, prospective memory also plays a fundamental role in our cognition, since it allows us to develop efficiently when planning and carrying out activities. when planning and carrying out activities of daily life..

When we include certain new activities or actions in our daily life (non-routine actions), we do so thanks to prior intentions. These intentions need control and planning in order to carry out the actions we want to perform, and this is achieved thanks to the prospective memory and the different executive functions.

Components

Some authors have tried to analyze the components that make up the prospective memory, with the aim of facilitating its evaluation. Some of them are:

1. Meta-cognition.

This is the knowledge necessary and specific to carry out the action..

2. Planning

Formulating the plan is essential to facilitate the implementation of the action.

3. Monitoring

Follow the process we want to carry outstep by step.

4. Content of the reminder

Remember the content of the action to be performed.

5. Conformity

We must agree to perform the action.

6. Verification of the result

It is a matter of also monitor the final resultthat is to say, to check if we have fulfilled the previous expectations of result, following the formulated plans.

The role of retrospective memory

Prospective memory tasks also have a retrospective (past-oriented) memory component. Let us think of an example to illustrate this: we may forget to give a message to our father when we see him, either because we have forgotten the intention to do so (prospective memory) or because we cannot remember what we were supposed to tell him (retrospective memory).

In this way, prospective memory would include subprocesses such as the recording of the intention, maintenance of the information, execution of the intention, and evaluation of the goal..

Relationship with executive functions

It has been shown in some studies that prospective memory is related to executive functions. Executive functions allow us to organize, plan, review and evaluate the behaviors necessary to adapt to our needs. behaviors necessary to adapt effectively to the environment; in addition, they are a guide that allows us to achieve goals.

This relationship refers to the fact that prospective memory requires executive control processes to function; let's imagine that I have to call the dentist at 12 o'clock to make an appointment. I am more likely to remember to call if I have a toothache at 11 o'clock. Therefore, if the system receives continuous information regarding what we should do, this information will operate as a signal that will update the system to be more effective.

Thus, the executive functions are of great importance, since they allow the person to constantly review and evaluate the information to "update" what is happening to him/her, and this allows him/her to easily remember what to do. In other words, such a mental "check-up" has much to do with both concepts: prospective memory and executive functions (since it allows to assess what the person has done and what remains to be done).

Bibliographical references:

• Kvavilashvili, L., Ellis, J. (1996). Varieties of intention: some distinction and classifications. In Brandimonte M, Einstein GO, McDaniel MA, eds. Prospective memory: theory and aplications. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum Associates.
• Tulving, E. (2002). Episodic memory: from mind to brain. Annu Rev Psychol, 53, 1-25.
• Tirapu-Ustárroz, J. y Muñoz-Céspedes, J.M. (2005). Memoria y funciones ejecutivas. REV NEUROL, 41(8), 475-484.