Prospective Memory: An Overview and Synthesis of an Emerging Field

When we think of memory, we typically think of remembering past events. However, there is another sort of memory for actions to be performed in the future, such as remembering to give a message to a friend, to take medication, or to turn off the oven. This sort of memory is called prospective memory, and it supports the planning and forward-looking activities that are a hallmark of human existence. However, despite a fast-growing literature and interest in prospective memory among psychologists, no integrative book provides an overview and synthesis of the theoretical and empirical work on this topic for instructors of memory courses and their students until now.