ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the top-down/strategic and bottom-up/spontaneous processes proposed to support noticing or retrieval of prospective memory (PM) intentions. It explains how the multiprocess framework view's (MPV) assumptions of top-down/bottom-up processes have evolved into the dynamic MPV. The chapter shows that qualitatively distinct processes do not only operate in concert during retrieval, but also during intention formation, retention-interval, and deactivation stages. The PM literature indicates that retrieval processes are often strategic, and rely on the dorsal frontoparietal attentional network. Reflexive-associative processes are the most thoroughly described mechanism for spontaneous retrieval. There are likely many factors that bias an individual either to monitor or to rely on spontaneous retrieval. Most PM research has focused on retrieval, and studies on retrieval dynamics have focused on the role of context. People dynamically adjust their reliance on top-down processes online, once the context has been realized.
