ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Prospective memory: remembering an action you intend to do later
The National Library of Medicine's MeSH terminology links prospective memory with the capacity to carry out a future intention. [1]
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
What does prospective memory mean?
The question here is “What am I intending to remember later?” The working-memory guide instead asks what information is being used during a current task. This is a terminology distinction for the reader, not a way to test or compare people. The reminder guide concerns how a prompt is agreed; a prompt and the future intention it refers to are not the same part of our example.
An RDY worked example: the borrowed game
This is an invented intention-and-ownership note, not a memory experiment or a tested intervention.
A teen intends to give a borrowed game back to a cousin at their next visit. They have not yet arranged when that visit will happen. A parent offers to set a daily reminder. The teen declines the repeated prompt and chooses to add “bring cousin's game” to their own visit note when a date is confirmed.
They also discuss a separate responsibility: the teen will ask the cousin whether that visit is the right time for the return. A sibling who happens to see the box is not automatically responsible for remembering it or carrying it. Nobody hides the game to test whether the teen remembers unaided.
Copyable future-intention note
What I intend to do later:
For whom or with whom, if relevant:
When or at what occasion I currently intend to do it:
What is still unconfirmed:
Who owns the action:
Whether I want a reminder, and from whom:
How I will change or cancel the intention if plans change:
Completed example: “Return the cousin's game; at our next agreed visit if that suits the cousin; date not confirmed; I own the return; no daily reminder requested.” The note records an intention and its conditions. It is not a guarantee that remembering will occur.
Different perspectives
The same situation can feel different depending on your place in the family. Start with the perspective that fits, and make room for the other person’s account.
Person holding the intention
choose which future action belongs in your note and whether any reminder is wanted.
Parent or partner
ask about an update without silently accepting or assigning responsibility for remembering.
Cousin, sibling, or grandparent
state the handoff you need and confirm that the other person heard it; do not assume a shared plan from an unacknowledged request.
Related guides
Questions you may have
Is forgetting a future action proof of ADHD?
This page makes no diagnostic inference. It describes a term and an optional record of one intention.
Does using a reminder change prospective memory?
No training or improvement claim is made here. The reminder is a separately agreed prompt, not evidence about a person's capacity.
Can the intention change?
Yes. In the example, a changed visit may require a new return arrangement. Record the current agreement rather than treating the old note as irrevocable.
Evidence and limitations
[1] MeSH: Memory, Prospective, concept M0556652, National Library of Medicine. Accessed September 5, 2026; full publisher record checked. Use the narrower prospective-memory concept's Scope Note, not the broader episodic-memory heading's definition. The note credits Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary, ninth edition; that book was not independently checked. This is the NLM vocabulary's usage, not a study population, assessment, or evidence for RDY. The record shows an introduction and update date of January 1, 2012, not a verified first-publication date. Its history notes and full page showed no correction notice; a focused NLM search found none, which is not exhaustive historical clearance.
Sources and what they support
These sources support the specific statements identified below. Our practical exercises are suggestions to consider, not evidence of a treatment effect.
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Memory, Episodic MeSH Descriptor Data 2026: Memory, Prospective concept M0556652 — National Library of Medicine
Source type: government.
Updated . Accessed .
Source check, September 5, 2026: Scoped source check. Passage: Concepts: Memory, Prospective, narrower concept M0556652, Scope Note; descriptor history and update fields. Limits: NLM controlled-vocabulary usage. The scope note credits Campbell's Psychiatric Dictionary, ninth edition, which was not independently inspected. The broader episodic-memory scope note is not used. Record introduction/update is not verified first publication; not a study or evidence for reminders.
Supports: The National Library of Medicine's MeSH terminology links prospective memory with the capacity to carry out a future intention.
Correction check: Full publisher concept record, displayed history, and date fields inspected; correction-marker search and focused NLM concept-ID/correction search found no notice. Not exhaustive historical clearance.
Updates and corrections
Published .
Found a factual error or something unclear? Use the contact route on our Trust page. Read our research method for the evidence approach.