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Everyday Memory Intervention

Enhancing Older Adults' Everyday Memory Function

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04088136
Acronym
EMMI
Enrollment
68
Registered
2019-09-12
Start date
2021-03-15
Completion date
2021-12-10
Last updated
2024-05-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Aging

Keywords

everyday memory, ecological momentary assessment, memory complaint, metacognition, mnemonics, external aids

Brief summary

Evaluates an intervention designed to improve everyday memory function, contrasting people receiving the intervention with a group that receives traditional memory strategy training.

Detailed description

This project seeks to develop and validate a novel approach to training everyday memory functioning in older adults. The approach (1) trains people to use simple but effective memory skills that have broad applicability in everyday life and (2) shapes a set of skills and habits of mind that will increase the likelihood of effective use of skills and memory aids. It is based on a metacognitive perspective on self-regulation in cognitively demanding situations and informed by recent theories about how suboptimal habit patterns can be altered. The approach has not yet been used in an everyday memory intervention in high-functioning, community-dwelling older adults. The proposed research validates ecological momentary assessment methods to get actual behavioral measures of forgetting in everyday life. It then uses these procedures in a randomized experiment that contrasts the everyday memory intervention group with a traditional memory-strategy training group. The hypothesis is that the everyday memory training intervention will reduce everyday memory errors and memory complaints, whereas the memory strategy training will alter strategy use and memory performance, with little cross-over effect. The hypothesized pattern will establish the explicit benefits of our everyday memory intervention procedures and demonstrate the limitation of standard memory training for that purpose.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALEveryday Metacognitive Memory Intervention

Provides training in use of techniques and procedures to enhance proactive self-regulatory control over everyday memory demands, including strategies for learning information, planning for meeting everyday goals, and monitoring of efficacy of goal pursuit.

BEHAVIORALMemory Strategy Control Intervention

Trains use of standard mnemonic techniques such as imagery and sentence generation for learning new associations and organizational and distinctiveness-based strategies for learning sets of items (e.g., word lists).

Sponsors

National Institute on Aging (NIA)
CollaboratorNIH
Georgia Institute of Technology
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
70 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* 70 - 85 years of age * in fair to good health * free of major neurocognitive impairment * English speaking * endorsed Smartphone and computer users (or willing to learn)

Exclusion criteria

* diagnosis of any major neurological problems (e.g. stroke, Parkinson's disease, dementia) * 1.5 SD below age-normed mean (or lower) on the TICS * low computer and smart phone literacy * and poor self-rated health.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Czaja Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: Prescription Refill Task (Time in Seconds)posttest onlyComputerized task to simulate use of an automated telephone program to refill prescriptions. Measure: time to complete task (in seconds)
Czaja Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: Prescription Refill Task (Number of Errors)posttest onlyComputerized task to simulate use of an automated telephone program to refill prescriptions. Measure: Number of errors
Free Recall Testpretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)Computerized task to present 30 concrete nouns, 6 from 5 taxonomic categories (Hultsch, Hertzog, Dixon, & Small, 1998) Measure is proportion of 30 words recalled
Associative Recall Testpretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)Computerized task to present 40 concrete-concrete associatively unrelated noun pairs (Hertzog, Sinclair, & Dunlosky, 2010) Outcome is proportion of 40 words correctly recalled.
Story Recallposttest onlygist recall of narrative story (total number of propositions (ideas) from story recalled)
Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: ATM Task (Time in Seconds)posttest onlyComputerized task to simulate use of an ATM machine. Measure: time to complete task (in seconds)
Everyday Memory Failuresminimum 8 day period after training on app prior to posttestAcross the data collection period, participants audio recorded descriptions of their memory failures on a smartphone app. The audio recordings were transcribed and then cleaned and qualitatively coded so that the number of memory failures each participant reported during the data collection period could be counted. The data was qualitatively coded to ensure an accurate count of the number of memory failures per participant without counting duplicate events or accidental reports. Average daily number of reported memory failures from EMA & daily diaries is reported.
Prospective Memory Lab ContactsTwo weeks prior to posttestNumber of successfully completed lab contacts (maximum of 4)
Prospective Memory Lab Contact EfficiencyTwo weeks prior to posttestmedian absolute time deviation (in minutes) from scheduled lab contact for completed contacts
Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: ATM Task (Number of Errors)posttest onlyComputerized task to simulate use of an ATM machine. Measure: number of errors

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
PBMI Specific Memory Self-Efficacypretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)The Personal Beliefs about Memory Instruments (PBMI) Specific Memory Self-Efficacy measurement is a summative visual analog rating scale measuring self-rated memory aggregated over multiple specific types of memory. Outcomes scaled in average proportion of distance from left (0) to maximum of 1.00 (higher scores indicate greater memory self-efficacy).
PBMI Memory Controlpretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)Summative visual analog rating scale measuring self-rated control over everyday. Outcome is scaled as average proportion of maximum endorsement (ranging from 0 to 1.0, with higher scores indicate greater perceived control)
MCQ Internal Scalepretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)Summative Likert scale obtaining self-rated frequency of use of internal mnemonic strategies in everyday life. Average Likert rating on 1-5 scale (higher scores indicate greater use of strategies)
MCQ Externalpretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)Summative Likert scale obtaining self-rated frequency of use of external memory aids. Outcome is scaled as average Likert rating on 1-5 scale. Higher score indicates greater use of external aids.
MFQ Memory Complaint (Frequency of Forgetting Scale)pretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)Summative Likert scale measuring frequency of reported memory problems for specific types of problems Measure is average item Likert rating on a 1-7 scale. Higher score indicates fewer memory problems

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Recruitment details

The study was converted to a completely on-line study due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Enrollment began in March of 2021.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Everyday Metacognitive Memory
Training in techniques for managing memory demands in everyday life Everyday Metacognitive Memory Intervention: Provides training in use of techniques and procedures to enhance proactive self-regulatory control over everyday memory demands, including strategies for learning information, planning for meeting everyday goals, and monitoring of efficacy of goal pursuit.
35
Memory Strategy Control
Trains the use of memory strategies for learning new associations and concepts Memory Strategy Control Intervention: Trains use of standard mnemonic techniques such as imagery and sentence generation for learning new associations and organizational and distinctiveness-based strategies for learning sets of items (e.g., word lists).
33
Total68

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyLack of Efficacy01
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject50

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicEveryday Metacognitive MemoryMemory Strategy ControlTotal
AB5C Personality Scales
AB5C Conscientiousness
3.9 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.5
4.1 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.4
4.0 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.5
AB5C Personality Scales
AB5C Gregariousness
3.2 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.7
2.9 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.6
3.1 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.7
AB5C Personality Scales
AB5C Introspection
3.7 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.7
4.0 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.5
3.9 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.6
AB5C Personality Scales
AB5C Stability
3.5 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.6
3.4 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.7
3.5 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.6
AB5C Personality Scales
AB5C Understanding
4.4 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.4
4.4 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.5
4.4 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.4
Age, Continuous76.3 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.8
75.2 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.6
75.8 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.7
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
3 Participants0 Participants3 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
31 Participants33 Participants64 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants
ETS Letter Sets Test8.9 scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.5
9.1 scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.3
9.0 scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.9
Mobile Device Proficiency Questionnaire (MDPQ-16)31.5 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.2
31.8 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.4
31.7 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.8
Pattern Comparison Test16.1 scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.3
14.8 scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.6
15.5 scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.9
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
1 Participants1 Participants2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
4 Participants5 Participants9 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
2 Participants0 Participants2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
2 Participants1 Participants3 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
26 Participants26 Participants52 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
35 participants33 participants68 participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
21 Participants19 Participants40 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
13 Participants14 Participants27 Participants
Shipley Vocabulary Test34.3 scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.4
35.7 scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.1
35.0 scores on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.3
Technology Experience Profile23.1 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.1
23.4 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.4
23.2 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.3
Victoria Activity Scale4.2 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.6
4.1 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.6
4.1 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 0.6

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 300 / 32
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 300 / 32
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 300 / 32

Outcome results

Primary

Associative Recall Test

Computerized task to present 40 concrete-concrete associatively unrelated noun pairs (Hertzog, Sinclair, & Dunlosky, 2010) Outcome is proportion of 40 words correctly recalled.

Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryAssociative Recall TestPretest0.52 proportion of words recalledStandard Error 0.04
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryAssociative Recall TestPosttest0.55 proportion of words recalledStandard Error 0.04
Memory Strategy ControlAssociative Recall TestPretest0.53 proportion of words recalledStandard Error 0.04
Memory Strategy ControlAssociative Recall TestPosttest0.66 proportion of words recalledStandard Error 0.04
Comparison: We ran a 2 X 2 (Group X Time) mixed effect model with repeated measures on Time (pretest-posttest).~Predicted hypothesis was greater pretest-posttest improvement in the Memory Strategy Contol groupp-value: <0.037Mixed Models Analysis
Primary

Czaja Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: Prescription Refill Task (Number of Errors)

Computerized task to simulate use of an automated telephone program to refill prescriptions. Measure: Number of errors

Time frame: posttest only

Population: Missing data caused by program run-time errors aborting program without recording results for several participants (6 Everyday Metacognitive Memory; 5 Memory Strategy Control)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryCzaja Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: Prescription Refill Task (Number of Errors)9.29 number of errorsStandard Error 1.74
Memory Strategy ControlCzaja Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: Prescription Refill Task (Number of Errors)8.44 number of errorsStandard Error 1.55
p-value: 0.7295% CI: [-3.8, 5.5]t-test, 2 sided
Primary

Czaja Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: Prescription Refill Task (Time in Seconds)

Computerized task to simulate use of an automated telephone program to refill prescriptions. Measure: time to complete task (in seconds)

Time frame: posttest only

Population: Missing data caused by program run-time errors aborting program without recording results for several participants (6 Everyday Metacognitive Memory; 5 Memory Strategy Control)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryCzaja Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: Prescription Refill Task (Time in Seconds)590.50 secondsStandard Error 31.68
Memory Strategy ControlCzaja Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: Prescription Refill Task (Time in Seconds)579.90 secondsStandard Error 30.15
p-value: 0.8195% CI: [-77.4, 98.5]t-test, 2 sided
Primary

Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: ATM Task (Number of Errors)

Computerized task to simulate use of an ATM machine. Measure: number of errors

Time frame: posttest only

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryEveryday Cognition Simulation Task: ATM Task (Number of Errors)9.08 number of errorsStandard Error 0.79
Memory Strategy ControlEveryday Cognition Simulation Task: ATM Task (Number of Errors)10.14 number of errorsStandard Error 1.59
p-value: 0.5795% CI: [-4.8, 2.6]t-test, 2 sided
Primary

Everyday Cognition Simulation Task: ATM Task (Time in Seconds)

Computerized task to simulate use of an ATM machine. Measure: time to complete task (in seconds)

Time frame: posttest only

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryEveryday Cognition Simulation Task: ATM Task (Time in Seconds)852.10 secondsStandard Error 61.74
Memory Strategy ControlEveryday Cognition Simulation Task: ATM Task (Time in Seconds)902.10 secondsStandard Error 80.53
p-value: 0.6395% CI: [-257.4, 157.4]t-test, 2 sided
Primary

Everyday Memory Failures

Across the data collection period, participants audio recorded descriptions of their memory failures on a smartphone app. The audio recordings were transcribed and then cleaned and qualitatively coded so that the number of memory failures each participant reported during the data collection period could be counted. The data was qualitatively coded to ensure an accurate count of the number of memory failures per participant without counting duplicate events or accidental reports. Average daily number of reported memory failures from EMA & daily diaries is reported.

Time frame: minimum 8 day period after training on app prior to posttest

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryEveryday Memory Failures0.55 average daily number memory failures/dayStandard Error 0.57
Memory Strategy ControlEveryday Memory Failures0.62 average daily number memory failures/dayStandard Error 0.71
p-value: 0.6795% CI: [-0.42, 0.55]t-test, 2 sided
Primary

Free Recall Test

Computerized task to present 30 concrete nouns, 6 from 5 taxonomic categories (Hultsch, Hertzog, Dixon, & Small, 1998) Measure is proportion of 30 words recalled

Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)

Population: One missing case due to program failure when administering the test

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryFree Recall TestPretest0.27 proportion of words recalledStandard Error 0.05
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryFree Recall TestPosttest0.37 proportion of words recalledStandard Error 0.05
Memory Strategy ControlFree Recall TestPretest0.31 proportion of words recalledStandard Error 0.05
Memory Strategy ControlFree Recall TestPosttest0.44 proportion of words recalledStandard Error 0.05
Comparison: We ran a 2 X 2 (Group X Time) mixed model analysis with repeated measures on Time (pretest, posttest).~Hypothesis was that Memory Strategy Control group would show greater improvements from pretest to posttest in recall scoresp-value: <0.69Mixed Models Analysis
Primary

Prospective Memory Lab Contact Efficiency

median absolute time deviation (in minutes) from scheduled lab contact for completed contacts

Time frame: Two weeks prior to posttest

Population: data only available for persons who successfully completed at least one laboratory contact

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryProspective Memory Lab Contact Efficiency4.4 minutesStandard Error 1.7
Memory Strategy ControlProspective Memory Lab Contact Efficiency4.2 minutesStandard Error 1.1
p-value: <0.1395% CI: [-3.7, 7.6]t-test, 1 sided
Primary

Prospective Memory Lab Contacts

Number of successfully completed lab contacts (maximum of 4)

Time frame: Two weeks prior to posttest

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryProspective Memory Lab Contacts2.8 number of contactsStandard Error 0.2
Memory Strategy ControlProspective Memory Lab Contacts3.0 number of contactsStandard Error 0.2
p-value: <0.47t-test, 1 sided
Primary

Story Recall

gist recall of narrative story (total number of propositions (ideas) from story recalled)

Time frame: posttest only

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryStory Recall30.8 number of ideas recalledStandard Error 1.6
Memory Strategy ControlStory Recall29.7 number of ideas recalledStandard Error 1.9
p-value: 0.6995% CI: [-4, 8.4]t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

MCQ External

Summative Likert scale obtaining self-rated frequency of use of external memory aids. Outcome is scaled as average Likert rating on 1-5 scale. Higher score indicates greater use of external aids.

Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryMCQ ExternalPretest3.34 average units on a scaleStandard Error 0.09
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryMCQ ExternalPosttest3.38 average units on a scaleStandard Error 0.08
Memory Strategy ControlMCQ ExternalPretest3.28 average units on a scaleStandard Error 0.09
Memory Strategy ControlMCQ ExternalPosttest3.30 average units on a scaleStandard Error 0.08
p-value: <0.2Mixed Models Analysis
Secondary

MCQ Internal Scale

Summative Likert scale obtaining self-rated frequency of use of internal mnemonic strategies in everyday life. Average Likert rating on 1-5 scale (higher scores indicate greater use of strategies)

Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryMCQ Internal ScalePretest1.92 average units on a scaleStandard Error 0.12
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryMCQ Internal ScalePosttest2.31 average units on a scaleStandard Error 0.11
Memory Strategy ControlMCQ Internal ScalePretest2.01 average units on a scaleStandard Error 0.11
Memory Strategy ControlMCQ Internal ScalePosttest2.26 average units on a scaleStandard Error 0.11
Comparison: We ran a 2 X 2 (Group X Time) mixed effects model with repeated measures on Time (pretest, posttest). Hypothesis was greater increase in memory control in EMMI groupp-value: <0.2Mixed Models Analysis
Secondary

MFQ Memory Complaint (Frequency of Forgetting Scale)

Summative Likert scale measuring frequency of reported memory problems for specific types of problems Measure is average item Likert rating on a 1-7 scale. Higher score indicates fewer memory problems

Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryMFQ Memory Complaint (Frequency of Forgetting Scale)Pretest4.9 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.2
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryMFQ Memory Complaint (Frequency of Forgetting Scale)Posttest5.0 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.2
Memory Strategy ControlMFQ Memory Complaint (Frequency of Forgetting Scale)Pretest5.1 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.2
Memory Strategy ControlMFQ Memory Complaint (Frequency of Forgetting Scale)Posttest5.0 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.2
Comparison: We conducted a 2 X 2 (Group X Time) mixed effects model with repeated measures on Time (pretest, posttest). Hypothesis was greater reduction in memory complaints from pretest to posttest in EMMI groupp-value: <0.14Mixed Models Analysis
Secondary

PBMI Memory Control

Summative visual analog rating scale measuring self-rated control over everyday. Outcome is scaled as average proportion of maximum endorsement (ranging from 0 to 1.0, with higher scores indicate greater perceived control)

Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryPBMI Memory ControlPretest0.79 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.03
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryPBMI Memory ControlPosttest0.90 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.02
Memory Strategy ControlPBMI Memory ControlPretest0.80 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.03
Memory Strategy ControlPBMI Memory ControlPosttest0.89 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.02
Comparison: We ran a 2 X 2 (Group X Time) mixed effects model with repeated measures on Time (pretest, posttest).p-value: <0.33Mixed Models Analysis
Secondary

PBMI Specific Memory Self-Efficacy

The Personal Beliefs about Memory Instruments (PBMI) Specific Memory Self-Efficacy measurement is a summative visual analog rating scale measuring self-rated memory aggregated over multiple specific types of memory. Outcomes scaled in average proportion of distance from left (0) to maximum of 1.00 (higher scores indicate greater memory self-efficacy).

Time frame: pretest and posttest (approximately 1 month lag)

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryPBMI Specific Memory Self-EfficacyPretest0.65 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.02
Everyday Metacognitive MemoryPBMI Specific Memory Self-EfficacyPosttest0.72 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.02
Memory Strategy ControlPBMI Specific Memory Self-EfficacyPretest0.71 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.02
Memory Strategy ControlPBMI Specific Memory Self-EfficacyPosttest0.73 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.02
Comparison: We ran a 2 X 2 (Group X Time) mixed effect model with repeated measures on Time (pretest-posttest)p-value: 0.037Mixed Models Analysis

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026