Acta Psychologica Sinica


Vol. 38 No. 5 , Pages 718 - 723 , 2006

The Influence of Task Importance on Transfer-appropriate Processing Effect in Prospective Memory (Article written in Chinese)

ZHANG Zhi, WANG Jian, ZHANG Tong, & GE Liezhong

Abstract

Introduction

There were conflicting results among past research on Transfer-appropriate Processing (for short TAP) effect in prospective memory. Although no specific finding has indicated that certain factors influenced the TAP effect, other studies found that task importance may have distinct effect on the performance of prospective memory in different experimental conditions. This research explored the influence of task importance on TAP effect in prospective memory.

Methods

In this study, 48 undergraduate/graduate students were randomly selected from Zhejiang University as subjects. A dual-task experimental paradigm was used. Using ANOVA and t-test as analytical tools, we examined the influence of task importance on TAP effect in prospective memory.

Results

When ongoing tasks were more important, the difference between prospective memory performances under two different experimental conditions were significant, and there was marked TAP effect; when the prospective memory tasks were more important, the difference between two kinds of prospective memory performances decreased, and TAP effect did not appear.

Conclusions

Task importance was one of the factors that influenced TAP effect in prospective memory. It had significant influence on TAP effect.

Keywords: prospective memory; TAP effect; task importance

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