Episodic foresight and stroke.

Objective: Stroke is often associated with increased difficulty engaging in specific future-directed thoughts and behaviors, such as generating phenomenological characteristics of future events (a component of episodic foresight) and executing directed preparatory behaviors (a component of prospective memory). The objective of this study was to clarify whether this group also exhibits increased difficulties using episodic foresight to appropriately guide future-directed behaviors.

Method: Stroke patients (n = 26) and demographically matched healthy controls (n = 26) were administered a behavioral measure that met strict criteria for assessing episodic foresight.

Episodic foresight and schizophrenia.

Objective: People with schizophrenia have difficulty engaging in specific future-directed thoughts and behaviours, such as generating phenomenological characteristics of future events (a component of episodic foresight), and executing directed preparatory behaviours (a component of prospective memory). However, it remains unclear whether they also exhibit difficulties using episodic foresight to appropriately guide future-directed behaviours.

Method: People with schizophrenia and non-clinical controls were administered a behavioural measure that met strict criteria for assessing episodic foresight.

Episodic foresight and aging.

Decline in episodic memory is one of the most prominent cognitive deficits seen in late adulthood. It is therefore surprising that few studies have examined how the related capacity for episodic foresight might also be affected in this age group. Preliminary evidence suggests that older adults show deficits in generating phenomenological characteristics of future events, but the critical question of whether such deficits extend to generating and executing appropriate future intentions remains to be addressed.