Spanish Version of the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ-S)

Abstract

The concept of prospective memory is relatively recent. Thus, it is necessary to have instruments to assess it, in interaction with retrospective memory. The Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ; Smith et al., 2000) is an instrument that has been effectively used for assessment in several languages. Nevertheless, there is still no Spanish adaptation. The aim of this study was to translate the PRMQ and obtain information about its psychometric properties. A back translation process was applied to the PRMQ. The resulting PRMQ-S was self-administered to 520 subjects after applying the pilot test. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test competing models of its latent structure. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. The results showed an adequate internal consistency of the total scale and the Prospective and Retrospective scales were: .89, .84 and .76, respectively. The factor structure was compared with the original study. Our results suggested a disagreement with the tripartite model defended by the authors of the PRMQ. Since there is a high correlation between two factors in the bi-factor model, and the tripartite model showed non-significant loadings to the two specific factors, we recommend that the PRMQ-S be used as one general memory score. We demonstrated adequate psychometric properties of the PRMQ-S if it is used as unique measurement of memory failures. These results are relevant due to the need for a short and accurate instrument in our language that explores memory failures, which has a major impact on the activities of daily living.