Automatic processes, controlled processes and metacognitive functions in prospective memory

本研究旨在探索分析基于事件的前瞻记忆的自动、控制和元认知过程的方法论途径。基于事件的前瞻记忆包括对未来提示事件的预期行为的保持和实现。在第一个资助期，开发了新的实验方法，用于研究线索检测和动作启动的自动过程，并分析元认知机制。此外，为了分析前瞻记忆中的特定过程，本研究还改进了统计方法。第二个资助期的研究计划建立在这些实验和统计进展的基础上，并引入了广义多水平分析，作为前瞻记忆研究中一种有前途的新分析技术。广义多水平分析允许人们在没有不合理的分布假设的情况下对离散的因变量进行建模，并且能够在不同的水平上指定预期记忆性能的预测因子。除了个人变量，如个人工作记忆容量或前瞻记忆任务对个人的总体损害，预测因素可以在线索事件的水平上进行分析，如线索上认知资源分配的个体内变异性或线索本身的任何特性。因此，多层次分析允许理论驱动的新预测器的规范和测试，以及它们与预期行动实现之间的相互作用。通过六个原始实验验证了分析的范围，并同时将其应用于元认知期望的作用、认知能力个体间差异的影响、动作启动的认知控制以及年龄对前瞻记忆的影响等实质性研究问题。

The research project aims at methodological approaches to analyzing automatic, controlled and metacognitive processes in event-based prospective memory. Event-based prospective memory includes the retention and realization of intended actions in response to cueing events in the future. During the first funding period, new experimental methods were developed for the investigation of automatic processes in cue detection and action initiation and for the analysis of metacognitive mechanisms. Furthermore statistical methods were refined for the analysis of specific processes in prospective memory. The research programme of the second funding period builds on these experimental and statistical advances and introduces generalized multi level analysis as a promising new analysis technique in prospective memory research. Generalized multi level analysis allows one to model the discrete dependent variable without unwarranted distributional assumptions, and it enables the specification of predictors of prospective memory performance on different levels. In addition to person variables, like individual working-memory capacity or the general impairment of a person by the prospective memory task, predictors can be analyzed on the level of the cueing events, like the intrainividual variability of cognitive resource allocation over the cues or any peculiarities of the cues themselves. Multi level analysis thus allows the theory-driven specification and test of new predictors and their interactions with respect to the realization of intended actions. The range of analysis is demonstrated by six original experiments, and it is simultaneously applied to substantive research questions concerning the role of metacognitive expectations, the effect of interindividual differences in cognitive capability, the cognitive control of action initiation, and aging effects on prospective memory.