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Abstract Objective This study examined differences in associations between memory aid usage, memory complaints, and meta-prospective memory (PM) accuracy between healthy and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) groups. Method Participants aged 60–90 were recruited from a rural community and neuropsychology clinic and separated into healthy (n = 50) and MCI (n = 31) groups using the MMSE and historical diagnoses. Measures included memory complaints, pre−/postdictions of PM performance, PM performance, and memory aid usage. Results There was no significant difference in memory aid usage between groups (t(79) = −0.79, p = 0.43, d = 0.18), nor was aid use correlated with PM performance (r = −0.04, p = 0.71). There was a significant difference in groups’ correlations between total aids used and overall memory complaints (Fisher’s Z = −2.13, p = 0.03*); the same pattern emerged for PM-only complaints (Fisher’s Z = −2.18, p = 0.03*). There was a significant difference in groups’ correlations between internal aid use and overall memory complaints (Fisher’s Z = −2.40, p = 0.02*). Internal aid use was significantly negatively correlated with PM-only complaints in the MCI group (r = −0.41, p = 0.02*), revealing a significant difference between groups (Fisher’s Z = −2.79, p = 0.005*). Conclusions Memory aid usage was not related to meta-PM accuracy or PM performance. Groups’ correlations significantly differed between total and internal memory aid usage and overall and PM-only complaints. Overall and internal memory aid usage was associated with fewer memory complaints for MCI groups but greater complaints in controls, suggesting that aid usage may improve or worsen perceptions of memory depending on neurocognitive status.
Schmidt et al. (Thu,) studied this question.