Women and middle-aged individuals report using more prospective memory aids

Prospective memory use was compared for men and women (N=112 normal adults) using three age groups, under 40, 40-59, and over 60. The Prospective Memo ry Aids Questionnaire developed for this study had good test reliability ov er 4 wk. for internal, external, and total memory aids. Women reported usin g prospective memory aids, both external and internal, more frequently than men. All participants employed more types of external than internal aids a nd used them more frequently. The relationship between age and use of prosp ective memory aid was more complex. Middle-aged participants employed more external aids than younger and older participants. Use of memory aids, espe cially external ones, increased as prospective memory demands increased. A major finding was the significant interaction of age with sex which indicat ed that women increased their use of memory aids in the middle-age group wh ile men showed decreases across age groups.