How Specificity in Episodic Future Thinking Affects Prospective Memory: Cognitive Mechanisms and Latent Subgroup Differences.

Chen Cai, Zihan Quan, Qingye Lin, Xin Fang, Qiyu Lin

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Chen CaiDepartment of Psychology, School of Education Science, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China.ORCID 0000-0002-8725-3988

Zihan QuanSchool of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.ORCID 0009-0004-5876-748X

Qingye LinDepartment of Psychology, School of Education Science, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China.ORCID 0009-0002-7384-2412

Xin FangDepartment of Psychology, School of Education Science, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China.ORCID 0009-0009-4892-1937

Qiyu LinSchool of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China.

Funding

Social Science Planning Project of Shandong Province, China 21DJYJ05

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Episodic future thinking (EFT) has been confirmed as a promising cognitive intervention for enhancing prospective memory (PM), yet emerging evidence suggests its effects may depend on the specificity of induction. The current study investigated this issue by dichotomizing EFT into two distinct methods: specific (researcher-guided detailed mental simulations) versus non-specific (participants' self-guided imagination), implemented through differentially structured future thinking instructions. We also analyzed the distinct cognitive strategies mainly employed under each EFT condition based on the

Indexed as

constructive retrieval hypothesisdynamic multiprocess frameworkepisodic future thinkinglatent profile analysisprospective memory

Identifiers

PMID42073909

DOI10.3390/bs16040546

PMCPMC13113728

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LicenceCC BY

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.