Committee Chair

Shelton, Jill T.

Committee Member

Eschman, Bret T.; Buck, Dave

Department

Dept. of Psychology

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Neurodiversity refers to natural variations in neurological development and cognitive functioning. Individuals who diverge from typical developmental trajectories, commonly referred to as neurodivergent, often include those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Neurodivergent adults have received empirical spotlight, particularly in lab-based paradigms, in the field of prospective memory (PM), defined as the ability to remember and carry out intentions in the future. The current study (N = 62) employed a 2 (Group: Neurotypical vs. Neurodivergent) X 2 (Goal Type: Prosocial vs. Self-Interested) mixed factor design examining the impact of prosocial motivation on everyday prospective memory performance between neurodivergent and neurotypical adults. Notably, there were no group differences in PM performance. Additionally, groups did not perform better on prosocial goals over self-interested. Finally, use of cognitive offloading strategies (e.g., setting an alarm) was associated with better overall PM performance.

Acknowledgments

I want to thank my advisor and friend, Dr. Jill Shelton. You helped me on innumerable occasions throughout this project and in general at UTC. Additionally, thank you to my committee, Dr. Eschman and Dave, from recruiting participants to envisioning the project in the early stages. Also, to my lovely research assistants, Alex, Brady, and Edie, thank you for your continued dedication and support in conducting the project. To the organizations that made recruitment and the design possible, I am exceptionally appreciative to the Chattanooga Autism Center, Disability Advocacy Research Network, and UTC-Mosaic. To my friends, Claire and Cooper, our time spent together aided in buffering the inevitable obstacles I encountered during this process. Finally, to the Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavor office for funding this project through the SEARCH grant.

Degree

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Date

5-2026

Subject

Motivation (Psychology); Neurodiversity; Prospective memory

Keyword

prospective memory, motivation, neurodiversity, metacognition

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

x, 60 leaves

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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