Abstract
Prospective memory is the ability to remember to execute future intentions and thoughts. It is probably the newest established field of memory research. We provide a selective review of work conducted in the last two decades with respect to the following issues: (1) the different types and characteristics of prospective tasks, (2) the theoretical models of the cognitive processes supporting prospective memory, (3) prospective memory performance in younger and older adults and (4) the findings from neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies. The findings indicate an extraordinarily fast progress in our understanding of the behaviour and the brain regions that are involved in this important ability, and suggest at least two possible emerging areas of enquiry for future research: a link with the closely related field of prospection (i.e., thinking about the future), and “expectation prospective memory” (triggering of behaviour in the absence of awareness depending on contingencies learnt from the environment).