Have you ever gone shopping and returned home to find that you forgot to buy the item you went to the store for? Did you know it was going to rain but left your umbrella at home? Did you leave and switch on the television?
All of these examples are examples of failed prospective memories – you don't remember what you were up to. While these examples are relatively minor, poor future memory can have serious consequences – for example, forgetting to take medication or leaving the stove on.
Failing prospective memory may be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease, according to psychologists at the University of Chichester, and new therapeutic methods are being used to leverage levels of prospective memory as a means to accurately diagnose diseases of cognitive impairment. Such methods can be effective, non-invasive alternatives to traditional clinical methods such as cerebrospinal fluid extraction.
A Psychologist's Tip for Overcoming a Bad Potential Memory
“Next time you'd want to remember to pick up a pint of milk from the store on your way home, don't wait until you get home to realize that you have forgotten. Instead, redo the action you'd like to remember, and pretend you're actually doing it, in as much detail as possible. This may sound tricky at first, but it has been identified as an optimal technique for improving future memory. It can have very long-lasting effects and even work for people with cognitive impairment. Trading is the key.
