Effect of time stress on event-based prospective memory with several prospective targets

Previous studies have found that time stress detriments event-based prospective memory (EBPM). Currently, there is indirect evidence that time stress may only affect difficult EBPM but not easy EBPM. In addition, in a study on acute stress, we found that different intensities of stress had different effects on EBPM performance. Therefore, our study explores how different levels of time stress affect EBPM performance under different numbers of prospective targets. In our study, 112 college students were randomly assigned to one of four stress conditions. A 4 (time stress: control group, low, medium, and high) x 2 (prospective target: single and multiple) mixed experimental design was used. The results showed that in the single prospective target condition, low and medium levels of time stress did not affect EBPM accuracy compared with the control group, and only high time stress impaired EBPM accuracy. In the multiple prospective targets condition, an increase in time stress resulted in a gradual decrease in EBPM accuracy. Overall, we found no benefit of time stress; low and medium levels of time stress did not affect simple EBPM, and high levels of time stress always impaired EBPM, and validated the conclusion that time stress is an obstructive stressor under complex EBPM. This reveals that in time-stress environments, we should avoid planning complex EBPM events and choose simple EBPM events.