Browsing by Author "Kangas, Suvi"

Objective. The ability to remember and execute delayed intentions, namely prospective memory (PM), is integral to everyday living. However, PM is prone to mistakes, and PM difficulties have been linked to certain diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In general, internal memory strategies have been shown to support memory performance. As for both PM and ADHD, there have been few studies examining how self-generated – that is, spontaneous – strategies are used, and how they affect PM performance. The purpose of the present study is to explore the use and usefulness of spontaneous strategies in a naturalistic PM task, and how the use of strategies changes during a multiphasic task. Additionally, neurotypical adults and adults with ADHD will be compared to examine possible group differences in strategy use and/or PM performance. Methods. British neurotypically developed adults (n = 244) and adults with ADHD (n = 104) were recruited through the Prolific crowdsourcing service. The participants played an online video game of Executive Performance in Everyday Living (EPELI) in which they performed everyday tasks while navigating in a virtual apartment. The game consisted of ten separate blocks, and after each block the participants answered an open question regarding their strategy use during the tasks. Strategy use was examined by comparing proportions of different strategies used and changes in strategy use across the blocks of the game, as well as individual variation in strategy use. Strategy use and its relationship with performance, as well as group differences, were also modelled with (generalized) linear mixed models. Results and conclusions. Participants used versatile memory strategies throughout the game, and nearly four out of five participants used a strategy in at least one block. Strategy use was reported in 40 % of all answers. Strategy use stabilized to some extent as the game proceeded. Both groups used strategies in similar ways, although in the ADHD group the use of strategies began decreasing earlier in the game. As hypothesized, spontaneous strategy use predicted better PM performance in both groups. Despite this, the ADHD group performed more actions and was less efficient as measured by task and navigation efficacy, although no group difference was found for the number of correctly remembered tasks. These findings provide evidence for a positive relationship between spontaneous strategies and PM performance. In addition, the present study indicates that the PM performance of adults with ADHD is characterized by impulsivity and deficiencies of planning, which do not seem to be explained by differences in PM strategy use. These findings provide new insight into the studies of PM, memory strategies and ADHD alike.