Aims
Prospective memory (PM: remembering future intentions and activities) is critical to everyday remembering. This study compared a group of never-smokers who reported regular exposure to second-hand smoke (the SHS group) with a group of current smokers (the CS group) and a group of never-smokers who reported never having been exposed to SHS (the Non-SHS group) on objective PM.
Design
An existing groups design was employed to compare the SHS, CS and Non-SHS group.
Participants and setting
27 SHS, 27 CS and 29 Non-SHS were tested on objective PM. All participants were university undergraduates aged between 18 –30 years. All participants were tested individually in a laboratory setting.
Measurements
The Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT) was used to assess objective PM. Age, other drug use, mood and IQ were also measured as covariates in the study.
Findings
The Non-SHS group recalled significantly more time-based PM tasks than the SHS group (Means = 16.3 versus13.7, p <.001) and significantly more than the CS group (CS Mean = 11.6, p <.001); and the SHS group recalled significantly more time-based tasks than the CS group (p <.002). The Non-SHS group recalled significantly more event-based PM tasks than the CS group (Means = 15.2 versus 11.3, p <.002) with no significant difference between the Non-SHS group and SHS group (SHS Mean = 14.3, p =.234); and the SHS group recalled significantly more event-based tasks than the CS group (p <.001).
Conclusion
Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke may suffer impairment in time-based prospective memory