Papers by Matthias Kliegel
International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2013
Prospective memory performance describes the delayed execution of an intended action. As this req... more Prospective memory performance describes the delayed execution of an intended action. As this requires a mixture of memory and attentional control functions, current research aims at delineating the specific processes associated with solving a prospective memory task. Therefore, the current study measured, analyzed and compared eye movements of participants who performed a prospective memory, a free viewing, and a visual search task. By keeping constant the prospective memory cue as well as the context of tasks, we aimed at putting the processes of solving prospective memory tasks into context. The results show, that when a prospective memory task is missed, the continuous gaze behaviour is rather similar to the gaze behaviour during free viewing. When the prospective memory task is successfully solved, on the other hand, average gaze behaviour is between free viewing and visual search.
Applied Neuropsychology, 2010
This study examined metamemory in relation to three basic executive functions (set shifting, work... more This study examined metamemory in relation to three basic executive functions (set shifting, working memory updating, and response inhibition) measured as latent variables. Young adults (Experiment 1) and middle-aged adults (Experiment 2) completed a set of executive functioning tasks and the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ). In Experiment 1, source recall and face recognition tasks were included as indicators of objective memory performance. In both experiments, analyses of the executive functioning data yielded a two-factor solution, with the updating and inhibition tasks constituting a common factor and the shifting tasks a separate factor. Self-reported memory problems showed low predictive validity, but subjective and objective memory performance were related to different components of executive functioning. In both experiments, set shifting, but not updating and inhibition, was related to PRMQ, whereas source recall showed the opposite pattern of correlations in Experiment 1. These findings suggest that metamemorial judgments reflect selective effects of executive functioning and that individual differences in mental flexibility contribute to self-beliefs of efficacy.
This article examines two issues: the role of gesture in the communication of spatial information... more This article examines two issues: the role of gesture in the communication of spatial information and the relation between communication and mental representation. Children (8-10 years) and adults walked through a space to learn the locations of six hidden toy animals and then explained the space to another person. In Study 1, older children and adults typically gestured when describing the space and rarely provided spatial information in speech without also providing the information in gesture. However, few 8-yearolds communicated spatial information in speech or gesture. Studies 2 and 3 showed that 8-year-olds did understand the spatial arrangement of the animals and could communicate spatial information if prompted to use their hands. Taken together, these results indicate that gesture is important for conveying spatial relations at all ages and, as such, provides us with a more complete picture of what children do and do not know about communicating spatial relations.
Developmental Review, 2014
Prospective memory (PM), the ability to remember to carry out one's intentions in the future, is ... more Prospective memory (PM), the ability to remember to carry out one's intentions in the future, is critical for children's daily functioning and their ability to become independent from caregivers. This review assesses the current state of research on children's prospective memory. Using an executive functioning framework the literature can be organized into studies examining four factors that influence PM. We discuss studies that have manipulated the nature of the intention, the content or length of the retention interval, the nature of the ongoing task, and the nature of the PM cue. Further, we propose a model that attempts to account for the development of PM across childhood based on advances in executive control. Finally, we suggest promising future directions for research.
PLOS ONE, 2015
Some studies have found that prospective memory (PM) cues which are emotionally valenced influenc... more Some studies have found that prospective memory (PM) cues which are emotionally valenced influence age effects in prospective remembering, but it remains unclear whether this effect reflects the operation of processes implemented at encoding or retrieval. In addition, none of the prior ageing studies of valence on PM function have examined potential costs of engaging in different valence conditions, or resource allocation trade-offs between the PM and the ongoing task. In the present study, younger, young-old and old-old adults completed a PM task in which the valence of the cues varied systematically (positive, negative or neutral) at encoding, but was kept constant (neutral) at retrieval. The results indicated that PM accuracy did not vary as a function of affect at encoding, and that this effect did not interact with age group. There was also no main or interaction effect of valence on PM reaction time in PM cue trials, indicating that valence costs across the three encoding conditions were equivalent. Old-old adults' PM accuracy was reduced relative to both young-old and younger adults. Prospective remembering incurred dual-task costs for all three groups. Analyses of reaction time data suggested that for both young-old and old-old, these costs were greater, implying differential resource allocation cost trade-offs. However, when reaction time data were expressed as a proportional change that adjusted for the general slowing of the older adults, costs did not differ as a function of group.
European Journal of Ageing, 2005
The present paper examined four hypotheses regarding the nature of cognitive complaints in older ... more The present paper examined four hypotheses regarding the nature of cognitive complaints in older adults. Analyzing data from 607 participants (mean age=62.9 years, SD=0.92 years, 59-65 years), we tested the influence of actual cognitive test performance, negative age stereotypes, depressive symptoms, neuroticism, and conscientiousness on cognitive complaints. Bivariate correlations confirmed relations of all hypothesized predictors with cognitive complaints. However, considering all predictors simultaneously in an OLS regression analysis, particularly depressive symptoms and neuroticism were revealed as accounting for large proportions of variance in cognitive complaints. Utilizing mixture regression analyses, evidence for distinct subgroups was obtained in which cognitive complaints were explained by different predictor patterns.
European Journal of Ageing, 2007
The present study was conducted to examine the inhibitory deficit theory on cognitive performance... more The present study was conducted to examine the inhibitory deficit theory on cognitive performance in old age. An experimental manipulation was applied to investigate if the efficiency of inhibitory control directly affects age-related working memory performance as measured by the operation span task. Forty-two older (M = 67 years, SD = 5.12) and 42 younger adults (M = 25 years, SD = 4.06) performed two versions of the operation span task that differed in the inhibitory demands placed on working memory. Age effects were confirmed for both versions of the operation span task. Importantly, the age effect was qualified by an age · inhibitory demands interaction indicating that age differences in the high inhibitory-demands condition were even larger than in the standard condition. In conclusion, this supports the assumption that inhibitory deficits contribute to age-related working memory performance.
Handbook of Cognitive Aging: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 2008
Zeitschrift für Neuropsychologie, 2003
Zusammenfassung: Zur Erforschung prospektiver Gedächtnisleistungen wurden in Klinik wie Forschung... more Zusammenfassung: Zur Erforschung prospektiver Gedächtnisleistungen wurden in Klinik wie Forschung bislang vor allem einfache Aufgaben eingesetzt, die aber kaum Prozesse wie die Planung oder die Koordination von Mehrfach-Intentionen erfassen, die komplexen prospektiven Aufgaben zugrunde liegen. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war daher, die deutsche Version des von Kliegel, McDaniel und Einstein (2000) vorgeschlagenen komplexen prospektiven Mehrfachaufgaben-Paradigmas vorzustellen sowie deren Ergebnisse anhand einer Stichprobe von 40 jüngeren und 40 älteren Erwachsenen zu replizieren. Zusätzlich wurde untersucht, inwieweit altersbedingte Leistungsunterschiede in der komplexen prospektiven Gedächtnisaufgabe mit Unterschieden in exekutiven Steuerungsprozessen zusammenhängen. Die Ergebnisse bestätigen frühere Befunde und dokumentieren Alterseffekte bezüglich der Plankomplexität, der Reinstantiierung der Intention sowie der selbstinitiierten Ausführung der multiplen Wechselintention, nicht jedoch in der Planerinnerung. Darüber hinaus zeigen die Resultate von Regressionsanalysen, dass die Varianz im Wisconsin Card Sorting Test die altersbedingte Variabilität der Leistung in der komplexen prospektiven Aufgabe teilweise vorhersagen kann. Das chronologische Alter blieb jedoch als signifikante Einflussgröße bestehen. Insgesamt liefert die Studie konsistente Hinweise auf eine hohe Bedeutung exekutiver Funktionen bei Alterseffekten in komplexen prospektiven Gedächtnisaufgaben.
European Journal of Ageing, 2009
The present research explores the effects of contextualized material on age-related working memor... more The present research explores the effects of contextualized material on age-related working memory performance. Two experiments examining younger and older adults are reported. ANOVA results of the first experiment showed age effects in both a standard operation span and a contextual task of parallel structure (air travel task). The second experiment also revealed a significant age effect in a standard operation span task. However, there was no age difference in a contextual task providing additional visual context (rail travel task), mainly due to older adults being unaffected by task type manipulation and younger adults performing worse in the contextual than in the standard task. The present research suggests that contextual task material may not necessarily lead to improved working memory performance in older adults. Several methodological and conceptual conclusions for future research are discussed.
International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 2014
Objectives: Self-regulation is a key factor in cognitive and behavioural development. The present... more Objectives: Self-regulation is a key factor in cognitive and behavioural development. The present work explored the link between neonatal distress and effortful control skills of preterm born toddlers as well as parenting stress as a moderator of this association. Methods: The sample comprised 119 preterm born children without major neurological complications (periventricular leucomalacie, Grade 3 or 4 intraventricular hemorrhage, seizures) or sensory impairment. Assessment involved effortful control (multitask behavioural battery, parent report; 24 months corrected age [CA]), parenting stress (parent-report; 12, 24 months CA), and the number of potentially distressful neonatal intensive care procedures as well as severity of illness during the neonatal period (retrospective chart review). Results: Exposure to a higher number of distressful procedures was related to lower effortful control (behavioural measures only) at the CA of 24 months when adjusting for gestational age, severity of illness and socioeconomic status. In contrast to hypotheses, lower parenting stress did not buffer distress-related effects on effortful control, but independently facilitated the emergence of higher effortful control skills. Conclusion: Findings highlight the role of early adversity for the emergence of self-regulatory difficulties and suggest multiple opportunities for interventions yielding on the promotion of selfregulation in preterm born children.
Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 2011
The present study examined age differences in time-based prospective memory (TBPM) in primary sch... more The present study examined age differences in time-based prospective memory (TBPM) in primary school age children and tested the role of self-initiated memory retrieval and strategic time monitoring (TM) as possible developmental mechanisms. Fifty-four children were recruited from local primary schools (27 younger children, mean age = 7.2 ± 0.55 years, and 27 older children, mean age = 9.61 ± 0.71 years). The task was a driving game scenario in which children had to drive a vehicle (ongoing task) and to remember to refuel before the vehicle runs out of gas (TBPM task, i.e., the fuel gauge served as child-appropriate time equivalent). Fuel gauge was either displayed permanently (low level of self-initiation) or could only be viewed on demand by hitting a button (high level of self-initiation). The results revealed age-dependent TBPM differences with better performance in older children. In contrast, level of self-initiated memory retrieval did not affect TBPM performance. However, strategies of TM influenced TBPM, as more frequent time checking was related to better performance. Patterns of time checking frequency differed according to children's age and course of the game, suggesting difficulties in maintaining initial strategic TM in younger children. Taken together, the study revealed ongoing development of TBPM across primary school age. Observed age differences seemed to be associated with the ability to maintain strategic monitoring.
Journal of experimental child psychology, 2014
Research indicates ongoing development of prospective memory as well as theory of mind and execut... more Research indicates ongoing development of prospective memory as well as theory of mind and executive functions across late childhood and adolescence. However, so far the interplay of these processes has not been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate whether theory of mind and executive control processes (specifically updating, switching, and inhibition) predict prospective memory development across adolescence. In total, 42 adolescents and 41 young adults participated in this study. Young adults outperformed adolescents on tasks of prospective memory, theory of mind, and executive functions. Switching and theory of mind predicted prospective memory performance in adolescents.
Journal of experimental child psychology, 2014
Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2012
Research has shown that cognitive training can enhance performance in executive control tasks. Th... more Research has shown that cognitive training can enhance performance in executive control tasks. The current study was designed to explore if executive control, specifically task switching, can be trained in adolescents, what particular aspects of executive control may underlie training and transfer effects, and if acute bouts of exercise directly prior to cognitive training enhance training effects. For that purpose, a task switching training was employed that has been shown to be effective in other age groups. A group of adolescents (10-14 years, n = 20) that received a three-session task switching training was compared to a group (n = 20) that received the same task switching training but who exercised on a stationary bike before each training session. Additionally, a no-contact and an exercise only control group were included (both ns = 20). Analyses indicated that both training groups significantly reduced their switching costs over the course of the training sessions for reactio...
Psychology and aging, 2007
This study investigated the role of processing speed and working memory in prospective and retros... more This study investigated the role of processing speed and working memory in prospective and retrospective memory (i.e., free recall) performance within old age. The aim was to examine age-related differences in both memory domains within the age range of 65 to 80 years. The sample consisted of 361 older adults from Wave 1 data of the Zurich Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging. Using structural equation modeling, prospective memory, free recall, working memory, and processing speed were identified as latent constructs. Age effects were found to be larger for prospective memory than for free recall. Furthermore, when controlling for individual differences in working memory and processing speed, unique age effects remained for prospective, but not retrospective, memory performance. Results indicate that, within old age, prospective memory represents a distinct memory construct that is partially independent of age-related individual differences in speed of processing, working memory, a...
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Papers by Matthias Kliegel