It is now recognised that prospective memory (PM) failures are commonly observed in clinical groups, and have important implications for functional independence. However, well-validated measures of PM have traditionally been lacking, making this construct difficult to assess in clinical practice. Rendell and Craik's (2000) Virtual Week measure was developed as an indicator of PM, and has been shown to have good psychometric properties and be sensitive to the effects of normal and abnormal adult ageing, as well as various forms of pathology. In this article, an overview of Virtual Week's characteristics is presented, and the literature relating to use of this measure in various populations reviewed. The potential implications of the development of a new computerised version of Virtual Week for clinical practice are discussed.

The study of memory is witnessing a spirited clash between proponents of traditional laboratory research and those advocating a more naturalistic approach to the study of “real-life” or “everyday” memory. The debate has generally centered on the “what” (content), “where” (context), and “how” (methods) of memory research. In this target article, we argue that the controversy discloses a further, more fundamental breach between two underlying memory metaphors, each having distinct implications for memory theory and assessment: Whereas traditional memory research has been dominated by the storehouse metaphor, leading to a focus on the number of items remaining in store and accessible to memory, the recent wave of everyday memory research has shifted toward a correspondence metaphor, focusing on the accuracy of memory in representing past events. The correspondence metaphor calls for a research approach that differs from the traditional one in important respects: in emphasizing the intentional –representational function of memory, in addressing the wholistic and graded aspects of memory correspondence, in taking an output-bound assessment perspective, and in allowing more room for the operation of subject-controlled metamemory processes and motivational factors. This analysis can help tie together soine of the what, where, and how aspects of the “real-life/laboratory” controversy. More important, however, by explicating the unique metatheoretical foundation of the accuracy-oriented approach to memory we aim to promote a more effective exploitation of the correspondence metaphor in both naturalistic and laboratory research contexts.

Relatively little research has focused on everyday memory function in childhood, possibly reflecting the limited number of measures available. This study introduces the Observer Memory Questionnaire—Parent Form (OMQ-PF), which assesses parental beliefs about their child's everyday memory. The OMQ-PF and a selection of neuropsychological measures were administered to a cohort of healthy children in Study 1 (n = 376; 5–16 years old) and a temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) group in Study 2 (n = 44; 6–16 years old). Study 1 found the OMQ-PF had sound internal consistency and was significantly correlated to a learning task. Study 2 found the TLE group was impaired on the OMQ-PF relative to the healthy cohort. Everyday memory ratings were related to a wider range of neuropsychological measures in this group. Findings are encouraging in terms of the properties of the OMQ-PF and suggest further development of the scale is warranted. (JINS, 2008, 14, 337–342.)

There is considerable evidence that multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with impaired retrospective memory. However, although preliminary evidence suggests that prospective memory is also affected by the disorder, the degree and nature of the impairment remains to be clarified. Twenty participants with MS were compared with 20 matched controls on Virtual Week, a measure of prospective memory that closely represents the types of prospective memory tasks that actually occur in everyday life, and provides an opportunity to investigate the different sorts of prospective memory failures that occur. The results indicated that irrespective of the specific prospective memory task demands, MS participants' performance was significantly impaired relative to controls. MS deficits could not be attributed to problems with retrospective memory because MS participants in the present study did not differ significantly from controls on measures of long- and short-term memory, and significant impairment was observed on a prospective memory task, which imposed only minimal demands on retrospective memory. These results therefore suggest that individuals with MS may experience general difficulties with prospective memory. The practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. (JINS, 2007, 13, 410–416.)

Background: Memory enhancement programs that can significantly improve actual memory performance and subjective perceptions of everyday memory in elderly people are rare. This study was designed to evaluate a new memory enhancement program incorporating principles of successful aging, designed to enhance subjective and objective everyday memory in community-dwelling old people.

Methods: Two matched groups of 20 healthy community-dwelling elderly adults were assessed on measures of objective and subjective memory performance before and after participating in a memory enhancement or active control condition.

Results: Planned multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) on change scores showed that participants in the memory enhancement program improved significantly on both objective and subjective measures. Specifically, greater improvement was demonstrated on a verbal paired associates task, story recall, face recognition, contentment with memory, and use of memory strategies.

Conclusions: Although a fully randomized design was not used, the results are promising, suggesting that memory training incorporating principles of successful aging can enhance memory performance in healthy old people, objectively and subjectively.