Call for Papers: Prospective Memory

How do we remember to perform an intended action when time and activities intervene between the formation of the intention and an opportunity to perform the intended action? This particular function of memory is called prospective memory. The ability to perform these tasks is a fundamental aspect of our daily lives. For instance, individuals who cannot remember to turn off the stove or take medication will require daily assistance. In the last two decades there has been an increased focus on prospective memory. Much of the increased interest can be attributed to the publication of a study by Einstein and McDaniel in 1990 that laid the cornerstone for the expansion of prospective memory research through the introduction of a laboratory paradigm for investigating prospective memory. In addition, Einstein and McDaniel’s study spurred an early and continuing interest in adult age differences in prospective memory.

In the spirit of Einstein and McDaniel’s (1990) study, the topical issue of the Zeitschrift für Psychologie / Journal of Psychology invites submissions of papers that either use alternative paradigms or analytic methods and/or papers that focus on group or individual differences in prospective memory across a variety of domains. The purpose of the issue is to highlight recent developments in the area of prospective memory research and to draw attention to the broad array of factors that can influence prospective memory performance both in and out of the laboratory. Contributions from all areas of prospective memory research are welcome, with particular interest in contributions that focus on new paradigms, analytic methods, and the investigation of factors that influence prospective memory performance, such as:

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  new paradigms for investigating prospective memory
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  novel extensions or applications of existing techniques
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  mathematical modeling and other alternative data-analytic approaches
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  meta-analyses
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  investigations of age difference in childhood and/or adulthood
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  effects of noncognitive factors such as personality and motivation
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  the role of lifestyle factors such as education, employment, and engagement
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  the effects of physical or mental illness, disease, or injury.

There is a two-stage submission process. Initially, authors are requested to submit only abstracts of their proposed papers. Authors requested to submit full papers should then do so. All papers will undergo full peer review. Abstracts/manuscripts can be submitted electronically to Rebekah E. Smith (mailto:rebekah.smith@utsa.edu).

Deadline for submission of abstracts is July 15, 2010.

Deadline for submission of full papers is November 15, 2010.

For additional information, please contact:

Rebekah E. Smith (mailto:rebekah.smith@utsa.edu).

The journal seeks to maintain a short turnaround time, with the final version of the accepted papers being due by March 15, 2011. The topical issue will be published as issue 3 (2011).

The Zeitschrift für Psychologie / Journal of Psychology was founded in 1890 and is the second oldest psychology journal in the world. One of the founding editors was Hermann Ebbinghaus. Since 2007, it is published in English and is devoted to publishing topical issues that provide state-of-the-art reviews of current research in psychology.

Guidelines for article preparation:

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  only English-language submissions can be considered;
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  contributions must be original (not published previously or currently under review for publication elsewhere);
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  regular articles should not exceed 45,000 characters and spaces in length, including references, figures, and tables (allowances for figures and tables should be deducted on the basis of size – approximately 1,250 characters for a quarter-page figure/table);
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  reference citations in the text and in the reference list should be in accordance with the principles set out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) – see also any recent issue of the journal;
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  submissions should be typeset in a standard font such as Times / Times New Roman 12 pt, with a margin of 3 cm;
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  illustrations and tables must be submitted on a separate page.

For detailed author guidelines, please see the journal’s website at www.hogrefe.com/journals/zfp/.