Automatic processes, controlled processes and metacognitive functions in prospective memory

本研究项目旨在研究基于事件的前瞻记忆中的自动、控制和元认知过程。基于事件的前瞻记忆包括对未来提示事件的预期动作的保留和实现。在第一个资助期内，开发了新的实验方法来研究线索检测和动作启动的自动过程以及元认知机制的分析。此外，统计方法的改进，以分析前瞻性记忆的具体过程。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，并引入广义多层次分析作为前瞻性记忆研究中有前途的新分析技术。广义的多层次分析允许人们在没有无根据的分布假设的情况下对离散因变量进行建模，并且它能够在不同水平上对预期记忆性能的预测指标进行规范。除了个人变量，如个人的工作记忆容量或一个人在前瞻记忆任务中的总体损害，预测因素还可以在提示事件的层面上进行分析，如在线索上认知资源分配的个体内部变异性或线索本身的任何特殊性。因此，多层次分析允许理论驱动的规范和测试新的预测器，以及它们在实现预期行动方面的相互作用。分析的范围由六个原始实验证明，并同时应用于实质性的研究问题，如元认知期望的作用，认知能力的个体间差异的影响，行动启动的认知控制，以及衰老对前瞻记忆的影响。

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.