TY - JOUR

T1 - Increasing Extrinsic Motivation Improves Time-Based Prospective Memory in Adults with Autism: Relations with Executive Functioning and Mentalizing

AU - Landsiedel, Julia

AU - Williams, David M.

PY - 2020/4

Y1 - 2020/4

N2 - Time-based prospective memory (PM) is diminished under various task demands in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is still unclear what underpins their impairment or how it could be remediated. This study explored whether instructions to prioritise one element of a PM task over another improved performance in adults with ASD (compared to a group of matched neurotypical adults), and how that is related to cognitive abilities. Results indicated that importance instructions significantly improved the PM performance of participants with ASD. Moreover, the extent of the benefit was associated significantly with objectively-measured executive set-shifting ability and self-reported inhibitory control ability (the poorer the set-shifting/inhibitory control, the greater the benefit). Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

AB - Time-based prospective memory (PM) is diminished under various task demands in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is still unclear what underpins their impairment or how it could be remediated. This study explored whether instructions to prioritise one element of a PM task over another improved performance in adults with ASD (compared to a group of matched neurotypical adults), and how that is related to cognitive abilities. Results indicated that importance instructions significantly improved the PM performance of participants with ASD. Moreover, the extent of the benefit was associated significantly with objectively-measured executive set-shifting ability and self-reported inhibitory control ability (the poorer the set-shifting/inhibitory control, the greater the benefit). Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

KW - Autism spectrum disorder

KW - Prospective memory

KW - Importance instructions

KW - Executive functions

KW - Mentalizing

U2 - 10.1007/s10803-019-04340-2

DO - 10.1007/s10803-019-04340-2

M3 - Article

C2 - 31865493

VL - 50

SP - 1133

EP - 1146

JO - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

JF - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

SN - 0162-3257

IS - 4

ER -