Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA | [b] Department of Computer Science, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, USA | [c] School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe, Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4820, USA. Tel.: +1 509 335 0170; Fax: +1 509 335 5043; E-mail:schmitter-e@wsu.edu
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: While advancements in technology have encouraged the
development of novel prompting systems to support cognitive interventions,
little research has evaluated the best time to deliver prompts, which may
impact the effectiveness of these interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether transition-based context
prompting (prompting an individual during task transitions) is more
effective than traditional fixed time-based prompting. METHODS: Participants were 42 healthy adults who completed 12
different everyday activities, each lasting 1-7 minutes, in an experimental
smart home testbed and received prompts to record the completed activities
from an electronic memory notebook. Half of the participants were delivered
prompts during activity transitions, while the other half received prompts
every 5 minutes. Participants also completed Likert-scale ratings regarding
their perceptions of the prompting system. RESULTS: Results revealed that participants in the transition-based
context prompting condition responded to the first prompt more frequently
and rated the system as more convenient, natural, and appropriate compared
to participants in the time-based condition. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that prompting during activity
transitions produces higher adherence to the first prompt and more positive
perceptions of the prompting system. This is an important finding given the
benefits of prompting technology and the possibility of improving cognitive
interventions by using context-aware transition prompting.
Keywords: Prompting technology, cognitive intervention, assistive technology, cognitive aids
