Everyday Memory Failures Research Articles

Everyday forgetfulness and memory complaints: A randomized controlled cognitive intervention study

ABSTRACT The results of Cognitive Intervention (CI) programs vary considerably; thus, it is helpful to assess the characteristics that enhance the effectiveness of these programs. Our objectives were to analyze the effectiveness of a multicomponent CI program called UMAM on cognitive performance, subjective memory, daily forgetfulness, and mood of individuals with memory complaints. Older adults with no cognitive impairment were separated into two groups by simple random assignment, a control (n = 111) and a parallel experimental (n = 115) group. They were assessed with an extended neuropsychological protocol and the Memory Failures of Everyday Questionnaire (MFE); evaluation pre and post intervention (at six months). We performed a multifactorial cognitive intervention (30 sessions) based on memory strategies, stimulation of cognitive processes, instruction in basic concepts about memory, interventions for everyday memory failures, and Metamemory. The Results showed improvements in objective measures, including logical memory (Cohen’s d = .30); processing speed (d = .26); phonological (d = .33) and semantic verbal fluency (d = .27); and general cognitive performance (d = .82) (all, p < .05). In subjective measures, we found improvements in mood state (d = .25) and everyday memory failures (MFE: d = .29) (all, p < .05). Several everyday failures improve: ‘Forgetting where you have put something,’ “finding a word that is on the ‘tip of the tongue,’ and ‘checking again if something has been done’ (all, p < .05). We found positive results when a cognitive process was directly trained intensely using exercises that focus on real life, with adaptive activities that aim to resolve everyday memory failures. This program has proved effective in promoting health and well-being and preventing cognitive impairment. Trial registration: Trial retrospectively registered on January 29, 2020; (ClinicalTrials.gov -NCT04245579).

Sleep quality in individuals with post-COVID-19 condition: Relation with emotional, cognitive and functional variables

The study aimed to assess sleep quality in PCC patients and its predictors by analysing its relationship with emotional, cognitive and functional variables, as well as possible differences based on COVID-19 severity. We included 368 individuals with PCC and 123 healthy controls (HCs) from the NAUTILUS Project (NCT05307549 and NCT05307575). We assessed sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ-9), global cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA), everyday memory failures (Memory Failures of Everyday Questionnaire, MFE-30), fatigue (Chadler Fatigue Questionnaire, CFQ), quality of life (European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions, EQ-5D), and physical activity levels (International Physical Activity Questionnaire, IPAQ). 203 were nonhospitalized, 83 were hospitalized and 82 were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). We found statistically significant differences in the PSQI total score between the PCC and HC groups (p < 0.0001), but there were no differences among the PCC groups. In the multiple linear regressions, the PHQ-9 score was a predictor of poor sleep quality for mild PCC patients (p = 0.003); GAD-7 (p = 0.032) and EQ-5D (p = 0.011) scores were predictors of poor sleep quality in the hospitalized PCC group; and GAD-7 (p = 0.045) and IPAQ (p = 0.005) scores were predictors of poor sleep quality in the group of ICU-PCC. These results indicate that worse sleep quality is related to higher levels of depression and anxiety, worse quality of life and less physical activity. Therapeutic strategies should focus on these factors to have a positive impact on the quality of sleep.

Anxiety related distractibility deficits: too much smartphone use is not such a smart call

ABSTRACT Smartphones can increase productivity and ease accessing information, however the possible negative implications for high smartphone use or problematic smartphone use (PSU) are not fully understood. The current study examined anxiety-linked memory and attention deficits to determine whether PSU moderates these relationships. Cross-sectional data from 506 young adults aged 18–29 years (68% female) were analysed in separate regression models to investigate whether PSU (Mobile Phone Problem Use scale) moderated the relationship between state and trait anxiety (State-Cognitive and Trait-Cognitive subscales of State Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety) and everyday memory and attentional failures (the False Triggering, Forgetfulness and Distractibility subscales of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire). Our results showed that PSU moderated the combined influence of state and trait anxiety for distractibility, such that those who reported higher PSU and higher trait anxiety reported greater errors of distractibility during higher, but not lower state anxiety. However, our predictions for false triggering and forgetfulness were not supported; the only significant finding was a trend for higher trait anxiety to be related to increased failures of false triggering and forgetfulness. Real-world implications of findings are discussed.

I forgot that I forgot: PTSD symptom severity in a general population correlates with everyday diary-recorded prospective memory failures.

Extant research suggests a complex relationship between prospective memory (PM) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity. In a general population, this relationship exists for self-report assessment but not objective, in-lab PM performance (e.g., pressing a certain key at a particular time, or when particular words appear). However, both these measurement methods have limitations. Objective, in-lab PM tasks might not represent typical everyday performance, while self-report measurement might be biased by metacognitive beliefs. Thus, we used a naturalistic diary paradigm to answer the overarching question: are PTSD symptoms associated with PM failures in everyday life? We found a small positive correlation between diary-recorded PM errors and PTSD symptom severity (r = .21). Time-based tasks (i.e., intentions completed at a particular time, or after a specified time has elapsed; r = .29), but not event-based tasks (i.e., intentions completed in response to an environmental cue; r = .08), correlated with PTSD symptoms. Moreover, although diary-recorded and self-report PM correlated, we did not replicate the finding that metacognitive beliefs underpin the PM-PTSD relationship. These results suggest that metacognitive beliefs might be particularly important for self-report PM only.

EngAge – A metacognitive intervention to supplement working memory training: A feasibility study in older adults

Working Memory (WM) training has shown promise in supporting cognitive functioning in older adult populations, but effects that generalize beyond the trained task have been inconsistent. Targeting cognitive processes in isolation might be a limiting factor given that metacognitive and motivational factors have been shown to impact older adults’ engagement with challenging cognitive activities, such as WM training. The current feasibility study implemented a novel metacognitive intervention in conjunction with WM training in older adults and examined its potential amplifying short- and long-term effects on cognitive and self-report outcomes as compared to WM or active control training alone. One-hundred and nineteen older adults completed acognitive training over the course of 20 sessions at home. The cognitive training targeted either WM or general knowledge. In addition, one of the WM training groups completed a metacognitive program via group seminars. We tested for group differences in WM, inhibitory control, and episodic memory, andwe assessed participants’ perceived self-efficacy and everyday memory failures. At post-test, we replicated earlier work by demonstrating that participants who completed the WM intervention outperformed the active control group in non-trained WM measures, and to some extent, in inhibitory control. However, we found no evidence that the supplemental metacognitive program led to benefits over and above the WM intervention. Nonetheless, we conclude that our metacognitive program is a step in the right directiongiven the tentative long-term effects and participants’ positive feedback, but more longitudinal data with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these early findings.

Self-reported symptoms of developmental dyslexia predict impairments in everyday cognition in adults

BackgroundResearch into the impact of dyslexia on everyday cognition in adults with dyslexia is relatively limited and has tended to focus on university students. Aims and methodsThe present online study aimed to add to this small corpus by investigating the everyday effects of dyslexia on memory and attention in a larger community-based sample. One hundred and seventy-two adult volunteers completed five well-established self-report questionnaires, assessing dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder symptomatology and everyday experiences with memory, attention, and mind-wandering. ResultsAfter controlling for ADHD symptomatology, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that higher levels of dyslexia-related symptomatology were associated with greater, more frequent everyday memory and attentional problems, but not with a greater propensity to mind-wandering. Increased levels of dyslexia symptomatology were positively associated with the frequency of both everyday attentional lapses (at least when performing a pair of tasks or easy tasks while inhibiting intervening stimuli) and everyday memory failures. No significant associations were found between dyslexia symptomatology and attentional lapses when performing difficult tasks in the presence of concurrent stimuli or between dyslexia symptomatology and the propensity to mind-wandering. Conclusions and implicationsDyslexia symptomatology was perceived as being associated with more everyday memory and attention problems in adulthood. Adjustments to educational and workplace settings and interventions to compensate for these difficulties are proposed.

Feasibility of a Home-Based Task-Switching Training in Middle-Aged Caregivers

The current study aimed at investigating feasibility of a self-administered task-switching training in a middle-aged working population. Eighty-one caregivers (41–62 years old) were instructed to train at home 8 times either within a 7- or 14-day interval. Only 56.7% performed more than 50% of the instructed number of training sessions. However, compliant caregivers (who completed more than 4 training sessions) showed significant training gains and transfer to an untrained task-switching task. Although transfer effects to other cognitive tasks were not found, trained participants tended to report fewer everyday memory failures than a control group. In conclusion, the implementation of a home-based task-switching training in everyday life of caregivers is possible. However, there is only limited evidence for generalization of results of previous laboratory studies. Adherence and transfer to other cognitive tasks are discussed as important challenges in conveying laboratory findings into real life.

The Role of Envy in Linking Active and Passive Social Media use to Memory Functioning.

Social media use has previously been shown to have negative implications for cognition. Scarce research has examined underlying pathways through which social media use may influence cognition. One potential pathway involves the consequences of social comparison, such that those who use social media more frequently may feel worse about themselves and more envious toward others. In turn, these negative socioemotional states could compromise memory. Further, whether an individual uses social media actively or passively may moderate these associations. Using an online adult lifespan sample (n=592), the current cross-sectional study examined whether socioemotional consequences of social comparison (self-esteem and envy) mediated relationships between social media use and memory (everyday memory failures and episodic memory) and whether active/passive use moderated these associations. Mediation models revealed that higher envy, but not lower self-esteem, partially explained the relationship between higher social media use and more self-reported everyday memory failures. Neither envy nor self-esteem mediated the relationship between higher social media use and lower objective episodic memory performance. Additionally, higher social media use was associated with higher envy to a greater extent for active users compared to passive users. These findings may suggest that high social media use has negative ramifications for both subjective and objective memory and that increased feelings of envy may partially explain these effects for subjective, but not objective, memory.

Prospective and retrospective memory complaints in early and late stages of amnestic mild cognitive impairment

AbstractBackgroundMemory complaints are a frequent phenomenon in elderly people. These subjective memory complaints are a cardinal feature of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) known as the first symptomatic stage of Alzheimer's disease. The objective of this study was to compare memory complaints and determine whether there were differences of types of memory complaints (i.e. prospective memory (PM) versus retrospective memory (RM) complaints) in early‐stage aMCI (EMCI) and late‐stage aMCI (LMCI).MethodOne‐hundred and twenty‐two aMCI subjects (mean age: 70.07 ± 8.54 years) were divided into EMCI (n = 72) and LMCI (n = 50) according to their Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes score. Memory complaints were assessed using the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) consisting of 16 items that describe everyday memory failure of both PM and RM. All participants underwent clinical assessment and completed detailed neuropsychological tests. Group comparisons of types of memory complaints were assessed between EMCI and LMCI subjects.ResultLMCI subjects showed more subjective memory complaints based on PRMQ total sores than EMCI subjects. For types of memory complaints, LMCI group showed more RM complaints by PRMQ‐RM scores than EMCI group, but there were no differences of PM complaints between two groups. The results for PRMQ total scores and PRMQ‐RM scores remained significant after adjusting for age, education, and depressive symptoms.ConclusionLMCI showed more RM complaints than EMCI among subjective memory complaints. There might be differences in types of memory complaints according to disease stage of clinical spectrum of MCI. Therefore, more consideration for types of memory complaints might be needed in the clinical correlation of individuals with MCI.

Accelerated forgetting in temporal lobe epilepsy: When does it occur?

ObjectiveThe main goal of the study was to analyse differences in the forgetting rates of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) patients at different intervals (30 sec, 10 min, 1 day and 1 week) compared with those of healthy controls. A secondary aim of this research was to provide an assessment of the relationship between clinical epilepsy-related variables and forgetting rates in TLE patients. MethodThe sample was composed of 14 TLE patients and 14 healthy matched controls. All participants underwent a full standardised neuropsychological assessment including general intelligence, executive functioning, memory, language and other variables, such as depression, anxiety or everyday memory failures. Two specific memory tasks, consisting of cued recall of 4 short stories and 4 routes, were carried out at four different intervals. ResultsThere was a significant difference between groups at 10-min interval on the stories task, with the TLE group displaying greater forgetting than healthy controls. None of the other intervals on either task showed significant group differences. No differences were found when controlling for clinical epilepsy-related variables. ConclusionForgetting of verbal information at 10 min was greater in patients with TLE compared with controls, but accelerated longer term forgetting was not found. This study suggests that a late consolidation process is not necessarily impaired in TLE patients.

Fostering Self-Management of Everyday Memory in Older Adults: A New Intervention Approach.

Traditional memory strategy training interventions improve older adults’ performance on tests of episodic memory, but have limited transfer to episodic memory tasks, let alone to everyday memory. We argue that an alternative approach is needed to assist older adults to compensate for age-related cognitive declines and to maintain functional capacity in their own natural ecologies. We outline a set of principles regarding how interventions can successfully train older adults to increase successful goal pursuit to reduce risks of everyday memory failures. We argue that training individuals to use metacognitive self-regulatory strategies to proactively manage formulation and pursuit of daily goals can compensate for age-related cognitive changes and increase the likelihood of goal attainment. We then describe an intervention approach that instantiates these principles in a multi-modal intervention that is unique in its three-phase approach: (1) individualized assessment of an individual’s current approaches to self-regulation; (2) training memory strategies, self-management skills, and new habits of mind in a group training context; and (3) a behavioral shaping period in which individuals receive coaching and feedback on their efforts to use trained procedures to improve everyday cognition. A recently completed study conducted an initial test of the intervention, with highly encouraging results. We advocate further efforts to replicate, extend, and fine-tune this type of intervention. The ultimate goal is to be able to deliver the intervention in a way that increases its potential reach, including to subpopulations of older adults at risk for everyday cognitive impairments.

White matter integrity and types of memory complaints in mild cognitive impairment

AbstractBackgroundMemory complaints are a frequent phenomenon in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, clinical significance for different types of memory complaints in MCI remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine whether white matter (WM) integrity would be affected due to different aspects of memory complaints (i.e., prospective memory (PM) versus retrospective memory (RM) complaints) in individuals with MCI.MethodThe study included a total of 73 participants (mean age: 69.37 ± 7.40 years) with MCI. Memory complaints were assessed using the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) consisting of 16 items that describe everyday memory failure of both PM and RM. WM integrity was evaluated by anatomically defined regions of interest analysis using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The discrepancies regarding more PM or more RM complaints were assessed by the PM‐RM discrepancy scores (median = 1, range: −9–12) based on the PM and RM subscores of the PRMQ, and participants with more PM complaints (PRMQ‐PM score &gt; PRMQ‐RM score) were compared to those with more RM complaints with regard to DTI‐derived WM fractional anisotropy (FA). The subjects with PM‐RM discrepancy scores of 0 or 1 were excluded from the group analyses.ResultMore PM complaints group (n = 34) had higher FA in the body of corpus callosum (p = 0.03), and a tendency to higher FA in the genu of corpus callosum (p = 0.08) and right entorhinal WM (p = 0.092) than more RM complaints group (n = 20).ConclusionRM complaints among subjective memory complaints might be associated with more alterations in WM integrity. This cross‐sectional study suggests that different types of memory complaints could affect WM microstructural alterations in individuals with MCI. To clarify our results, further investigations in larger samples are required.

Initial Evidence for the Efficacy of an Everyday Memory and Metacognitive Intervention.

Background and ObjectivesThe objective of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of an Everyday Memory and Metacognitive Intervention (EMMI) designed to improve everyday functioning of older adults. The EMMI emphasizes self-regulation as a behavioral approach to take priority over habitual behaviors that often impede everyday functioning.Research Design and MethodsThis study used a quasi-experimental design (intervention vs waitlist control) to test whether the EMMI improved several aspects of everyday cognition. Thirty-three EMMI participants (Mage = 70.24) were compared to 20 control participants (Mage = 71.70 years). The 2 groups were compared on everyday memory failures and successes, measures of well-being, subjective memory, and a prospective memory task.ResultsParticipants who received the EMMI reported more memory successes and fewer memory failures over a 10-day measurement period postintervention. In addition, EMMI participants reported significantly higher life satisfaction and better subjective memory at posttest than the control group. Critically, the EMMI participants performed better on a laboratory contact prospective memory task.Discussion and ImplicationsThe results from this study suggest that the EMMI is a promising approach that has potential to improve everyday memory functioning and perhaps help extend functional independence. Future studies will include randomized controlled trials as well as electronic measurement of memory incidents.

Everyday memory failures across adulthood: Implications for the age prospective memory paradox.

Despite the prevalence of everyday memory failures, little is known about which specific types have the strongest impact on everyday life, and whether their impact changes across adulthood. An investigation of memory failures at different ages is particularly informative to disentangle the age paradox in prospective memory, which seems to suggest that remembering to perform intended actions in everyday life improves with age. Therefore, 58 young adults, 40 middle-aged adults, and 54 elderly adults recorded their memory failures as and when they occurred during a 7-day period, and described how serious and consequential they were. Failures were coded into several subcategories of retrospective memory, prospective memory, and absent-minded lapses. It was prospective memory lapses that were overall the most common, serious and consequential ones. Young adults had substantially more prospective memory failures than the elderly and middle-aged adults who did not differ from each other. A young adult disadvantage still held up when lifestyle differences between young adults and the elderly were taken into account. Our findings support the age-related benefit previously found in naturalistic prospective memory tasks, and suggest that it is robust across various types of prospective memory tasks. The results also suggest that the benefit may result from both young adults having poor everyday prospective memory, compared to any adults of a greater age, and everyday prospective memory being spared from age-related decline between the middle and late adulthood.

Coping with cognitive impairment and family caregiving: Introduction to the special section.

Consistent with the long history within Psychology and Aging of publishing high impact articles on family caregiving, the current Special Section includes 5 articles that provide important advances, in knowledge and in methodological sophistication, to the study of cognitive difficulty, impairment and family caregiving. One study used daily diary data over 14 days to conduct microlongitudinal analyses of the prospective impact of everyday memory failures on negative affect and marital interactions in older couples. Also relying on dyadic data, 2 other articles addressed the impact of caregiving on family members, including a study of the effects of transitioning to family caregiving over time on well-being in older husbands and wives, and a comparison of primary and secondary caregivers. Together, these articles represent important methodological advances in terms of the use of longitudinal data to study the effects of transition to cognitive impairment and spousal caregiving within the couple, and the inclusion of multiple caregivers to illustrate the impacts of caregiving in the broader family. In addition, two articles examined issues in clinical intervention for caregivers. Both articles offer new insights about the effectiveness of caregiver interventions, with the former focusing on the relative merits of offering intervention components in a flexible way over the manualized approach, and the latter a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to tease out the relative utility of different intervention characteristics and approaches, with a new lens to look at psychoeducational programs. The implications of these articles for family caregiving and further research advances are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Everyday Memory Failures in Older Adults with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Identifying people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), who are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, is important for improving early disease management and care. Although self- or informant-reported memory problems constitute one of the diagnostic criteria of aMCI, there is currently little empirical knowledge about the frequency and nature of everyday memory failures in aMCI compared to age-matched healthy controls. Consequently, clinicians rely on their personal judgements when assessing the seriousness of reported memory failures. To address this gap in our knowledge, 32 aMCI participants and 38 healthy controls recorded their everyday memory failures as and when they occurred during a 7-day period, in a portable diary-booklet, by filling in a short questionnaire on a diary page. Descriptions of memory failures were coded into several subcategories of retrospective memory, prospective memory, and absent-minded failures. Results showed that a total number of recorded failures was significantly higher in participants with aMCI than controls. This group difference was mainly due to aMCI participants recording a higher number of retrospective memory failures, while groups did not differ in the number of prospective memory and absent-minded failures. Additionally, while certain types of failures (i.e., forgetting appointments and well-learned procedures) were recorded by a proportion of aMCI patients, they were never reported in a control group. Overall compliance rates were high and did not differ across the groups, suggesting that a structured diary method is feasible to use with aMCI patients, and can provide useful information about everyday memory functioning in this population.

Effectiveness of a manualised group training intervention for memory dysfunction following stroke: a series of single case studies

Purpose: Deficits in memory are common following stroke and have been independently linked with poorer outcomes. Outcomes and best-practice processes of post-stroke memory rehabilitation remain equivocal.Materials and method: In this study an AB with follow up single-case design was repeated across four participants to explore the effectiveness of a compensatory memory skills group in patients with stroke. Target behaviour was subjective everyday and prospective memory failures, assessed weekly. Secondary outcomes included goal attainment and performance on neuropsychological tests of memory. Following three-week baseline, participants completed six weekly two-hour sessions of a manualised memory group. Data was analysed visually and statistically.Results and conclusion: Frequency of everyday memory complaints reduced for all participants during the six-week post-intervention period. This change was significant for three participants. One of the four participants reported a significant reduction in the frequency of prospective memory failures during the maintenance period. All participants described attaining at least one memory specific goal following intervention. Group participation did not result in meaningful change on neuropsychological measures of memory. Taken together, results provided preliminary support for the effectiveness of group-based compensatory memory rehabilitation for reducing subjective everyday memory failures and functional goal attainment.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONMemory skills group training can improve subjective everyday memory and functional goal attainment in community dwelling survivors of stroke.Participants who are closer to date of injury may show greater changes in self-awareness as a consequence of group participation than those who are further from injury.Exploration of change following memory rehabilitation on standard neuropsychological tests may not be the best way to capture improvement following memory skills group training. A focus on functional memory outcomes is recommended to facilitate translation to person-centred clinical practice.

Behaviors and Strategies Supporting Everyday Memory in Older Adults

Background: Little is known about the means by which older adults achieve memory-demanding goals in everyday life or alternatively about why they fail to do so. Objectives: We conducted qualitative interviews to evaluate what older people do to support everyday memory functioning. A principal focus was on understanding the ways in which individuals use internal memory strategies and external memory aids. Methods: We interviewed 25 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 70 years) in a semi-structured interview. The transcribed results were coded by extracting segments of the interviews and classifying the responses into emergent categories. All coded interview segments were reviewed by category. Memos were created and relevant themes identified. Results: The older adults reported everyday memory failures (such as forgetting names), often without nominating explicit methods for avoiding these problems. They also reported using a number of external memory aids such as calendars and lists. Our interviews indicated this use was typically a part of complex routines and habits of living that often seemed vulnerable to errors. For instance, people would report filling medication organizers or completing to-do lists without mentioning plans for how to effectively use these aids later. Furthermore, they often reported reliance on spontaneous encoding and retrieval – for example, stating that they would routinely remember to perform important actions in the future. Conclusions: Older adults’ reported everyday memory failures were linked to suboptimal use of external memory aids and to a reliance on incidental learning and remembering. There is potential value for interventions that improve procedures for managing everyday life goals that rely on memory.

Effects of Question Framing on Self-Reported Memory Concerns across the Lifespan

ABSTRACTBackground/Study Context: Evidence regarding whether there is an age-related increase in subjective memory concerns is mixed. The goal of this study was to investigate whether calling to mind specific instances of memory failures affects the likelihood that individuals report being concerned about their memory.Methods: Young, middle-aged, and older individuals responded to statements that probed general memory concerns (e.g., I am concerned about my memory) before or after probing the frequency of memory difficulties in specific everyday situations (e.g., I forget appointments).Results: We found no relationship between age and memory concern, and older compared to younger adults reported having fewer everyday memory failures. Furthermore, individuals of all ages were more likely to report being concerned about their memory if asked before relative to after rating the frequency of specific everyday memory failures.Conclusion: Increasing age is associated with fewer reported difficulties with specific everyday memory situations, but people of all ages display anchoring effects on memory concern based on realistic occurrences of remembering. Our findings have implications for the measurement of self-reported memory as they show that the order of questions can influence responding.

Should Participants be Left to their Own Devices? Comparing Paper and Smartphone Diaries in Psychological Research

Growing smartphone ownership creates unprecedented opportunities for using participants’ own smartphones as diaries to record transient phenomena in daily life. In three studies, we assessed the hypothesis that participant-owned smartphone diaries would result in superior compliance and higher number of recorded entries than the traditional paper-diary method. Paper and smartphone diaries were compared for self-initiated recording of involuntary autobiographical memories (Studies 1 and 2) and everyday memory failures (Study 3). Diary-recording period (7-day, 1-day) was also examined by comparing results of Studies 1 and 2. Smartphone owners were highly compliant, carrying diaries and making entries sooner. Nevertheless, significantly fewer memory events were recorded in smartphones than paper diaries in all studies. Moreover, the number of memories recorded in Study 2 (1-day) was significantly higher than recorded on day 1 of Study 1 (7-day), suggesting that shorter diary-keeping periods may be preferable. Implications and opportunities for improving smartphone-diary functionality are discussed.