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Aims Prospective memory ( PM: remembering future intentions and activities) is critical to everyday remembering. This study compared a group of never-smokers who reported regular exposure to second-hand smoke (the SHS group) with a group of current smokers (the CS group) and a group of never-smokers who reported never having been exposed to SHS (the non- SHS group) on objective PM. Design An existing groups design was employed to compare the SHS, CS and non- SHS groups. Participants and setting Twenty-four SHS, 27 CS and 28 non- SHS were tested on objective PM. All participants were university undergraduates aged between 18-30 years. All participants were tested individually in a laboratory setting. Measurements The Cambridge Prospective Memory Test ( CAMPROMPT) was used to assess objective PM. Age, other drug use, mood and IQ were also measured as covariates in the study. Findings The non- SHS group recalled significantly more time-based PM tasks than the SHS group (means = 16.3 versus 13.7, P < 0.001) and significantly more than the CS group ( CS mean = 11.6, P < 0.001); and the SHS group recalled significantly more time-based tasks than the CS group ( P < 0.002). The non- SHS group recalled significantly more event-based PM tasks than the CS group (means = 15.2 versus 11.3, P < 0.002) with no significant difference between the non- SHS group and SHS group ( SHS mean = 14.3, P = 0.234); and the SHS group recalled significantly more event-based tasks than the CS group ( P < 0.001). Conclusion Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke may suffer impairment in time-based prospective memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective memory (PM) is memory for future events. PM is a developing area of research (e.g., Brandimonte, Einstein & McDaniel, 1996) with recent work linking personality types and their utilisation of PM (Goschke & Kuhl, 1996; Searleman, 1996). The present study compared 28 extraverts and 28 introverts on their short- and long-term prospective memory using the Prospective Memory Scale developed by Hannon, Adams, Harrington, Fries-Dias & Gibson (1995). The main finding was that extraverts reported significantly fewer errors on short- and long-term PM than introverts, and this difference could not be explained in terms of the number of strategies used to support prospective remembering. These findings are discussed in relation to differences between the personality types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic use of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), or ‘ecstasy’, is associated with significant cognitive impairments, particularly in laboratory and field tests of memory for previously encoded material. Less is known about the effects of a history of MDMA use on aspects of everyday cognitive functioning–of which prospective memory (typically characterised as ‘remembering to do something at some future point’) is an important aspect. Self-ratings of prospective memory among 30 regular ecstasy users (taking the drug 10 or more times per month) and 31 ecstasy-free controls were compared. Each participant completed the Prospective Memory Questionnaire, which measures self-rated error frequencies relating to three aspects of prospective memory (short-term habitual, long-term episodic and internally cued); the scale also records the use of strategies to aid remembering. Compared with non-users, ecstasy users reported significantly more self-rated errors in prospective memory, an effect which was evident after co-varying levels of other drug use. There were no significant differences in the use of strategies to aid memory. These findings provide new insights into prospective memory dysfunction in recreational drug users. Prospective memory deficits may be related to the reported serotonergic and frontal lobe deficits in chronic MDMA users. It is necessary to use more objective tasks to assess putative prospective memory deficits in ecstasy users. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]