The impact of using implementation intentions as task instructions on prospective memory performance after stroke

Prospective Memory (PM), the ability to remember to carry out intentions in the future, is often impaired after stroke. Little is known about rehabilitation of PM post-stroke with literature limited by small sample sizes and reliance on self-reported memory performance. Implementation intentions may make prospective remembering more automatic and follow a simple if–then structure (if X occurs, then I will do Y), focusing on the cue rather than the task. We aimed to investigate the effect of implementation intentions on PM post-stroke. Twenty-eight individuals with stroke and 27 controls were randomly allocated to a standard instruction or implementation intention condition and completed an assessment battery over two sessions. Implementation intention instructions were provided for PM tasks on the Delayed Message Task, Lexical Decision Prospective Memory Task (LDPMT), and the Virtual Reality Prospective Memory Shopping Task. The implementation intention groups performed better on all PM tasks compared to the standard instruction group, but no results reached statistical significance, likely due to the small sample size. In addition, the implementation intentions group monitored the time significantly more on the LDPMT than those in the standard instruction group.