ABSTRACT
Prospective memory is memory for actions to be performed in the future, such as remembering to return a library book, give someone a message, perform your back exercises, and pick up the children at school. Despite the fact that researchers only recently began to study prospective memory, it is a type of memory that is prevalent in everyday life. In informal surveys of our classes, when asked to list “the last thing you remember forgetting,” over one half of our students (including older students enrolled in an elderhostel class) listed memory failures that are prospective in nature. Moreover, good prospective memory is critical for normal functioning. Problems in remembering to turn off the oven and to take medication, for example, threaten independent living.
