A new paradigm for the investigation of working memory role in prospective memory: clinical evidences

Objectives:The present study aims to examine the relation between working memory (WM) and prospective memory (PM) in order to observe whether these are two shared or independent systems. Background and Aims:Several studies have investigated the relationship between PM and WM. Specifically, the PM allows planning delayed actions; while the WM organizes joint actions execution. From literature analysis, two main models on PM and WM relationship emerge. The preparatory model of attention and memory (PAM) postulates that WM resources influence PM performances; instead, the multiprocess framework postulates that PM recovery occurs automatically. Materials and Methods:In order to investigate the relationship between WM and PM, the performance of a dysexecutive patient with PM difficulties was compared to that of nine healthy participants. Participants were asked to perform two ongoing tasks together with a PM switching task. The first arithmetic task development required a low WM resources load; the second PASAT task required a WM high cognitive load. In both tasks, prospective recovery was administered in two different ways: based on events, in which the PM recall was associated to an external sound, and on time, in which the PM recall occurred at a given time. Results and Conclusions:The results showed that MB’s performances in PM tasks significantly differ from the controls only in PASAT time-based condition that requires a WM high cognitive load and a PM active self-recovery. Results showed that WM and PM are distinct mechanisms at least when the potential recovery is associated with an external cue, highlighting the PM complexity as a high-level metacognitive function.