Geneva Space Cruiser

Main reference: Zuber et al., 2021.

Based on previous versions of the Cruiser (e.g., Kerns, 2000) and the Dresden Cruiser (Kliegel et al., 2013, Voigt et al., 2014), the Geneva Space Cruiser represents a new online adaptation of the serious-game like task that allows assessing participants' prospective memory, that is, their ability to remember to perform planned intentions after delay. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to administer and provides detailed results on participants' prospective memory performance, time-monitoring behavior, and ongoing task performance.

With its latest adaptions, the Geneva Space Cruiser can be used for fully self-administered, remote assessment that does not require any direct (on- or offline) assistance from researchers.

A recent study of our team suggests that the Geneva Space Cruiser "represents a rather valid, moderately to highly reliable, and generally useful tool to assess PM in online testing across wide ranges of the adult lifespan" (for details, see Zuber et al., 2021).

You can find free demo versions of the Geneva Space Cruiser below:

You can download detailed instructions manuals below:

These instructions manuals provide a page-per-page guide of the task instructions used to administer the Geneva Space Cruiser online.

If you decide to reproduce the Geneva Space Cruiser, the information provided in the manuals and in the demo versions can be used without copyright and free of charge. However, we kindly ask you to reference the initial validation study below in your projects that use data stemming from the Geneva Space Cruiser:

  • Zuber, S., Haas, M., Framorando, D., Ballhausen, N., Gillioz, E., Künzi, M., & Kliegel, M. (2022) The Geneva Space Cruiser: A fully self-administered online tool to assess prospective memory across the adult lifespan. Memory, 30(2), 117-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2021.1995435

If you would like direct access to our online tool to collect your data in a collaborative context, if you have questions or would require additional information, please contact us (Sascha.Zuber(at)unige.ch).

Examples of studies using different variants of the Cruiser
  • Kerns, K. A. (2000). The CyberCruiser: An investigation of development of prospective memory in children. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 6(1), 62-70. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617700611074
  • Kliegel, M., Mahy, C. E. V., Voigt, B., Henry, J. D., Rendell, P. G., & Aberle, I. (2013). The development of prospective memory in young schoolchildren: The impact of ongoing task absorption, cue salience, and cue centrality. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 116(4), 792-810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2013.07.012
  • Kretschmer, A., Voigt, B., Friedrich, S., Pfeiffer, K., & Kliegel, M. (2014). Time-based prospective memory in young children-Exploring executive functions as a developmental mechanism. Child Neuropsychology, 20(6), 662-676. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2013.841881
  • Lewis, C. E., Thomas, K. G., Molteno, C. D., Kliegel, M., Meintjes, E. M., Jacobson, J. L., & Jacobson, S. W. (2016). Prospective Memory Impairment in Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 40(5), 969-978. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.13045
  • Mahy, C. E. V., Voigt, B., Ballhausen, N., Schnitzspahn, K., Ellis, J., & Kliegel, M. (2015). The impact of cognitive control on children's goal monitoring in a time-based prospective memory task. Child Neuropsychology, 21(6), 823-839. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2014.967202
  • Rendell, P. G., Vella, M. J., Kliegel, M., & Terrett, G. (2009). Effect of delay on children's delay-execute prospective memory performance. Cognitive Development, 24(2), 156-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.Cogdev.2008.12.002
  • Souchay, C., Dubourg, L., Ballhausen, N., Schneider, M., Cerf, C., Schnitzspahn, K., Faivre, L., Kliegel, M., & Eliez, S. (2018). Time-based prospective memory in children and adolescents with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Clinical Neuropsychologist, 32(5), 981-992. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2017.1403652
  • Talbot, K. D. S., & Kerns, K. A. (2014). Event- and time-triggered remembering: The impact of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on prospective memory performance in children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 127, 126-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.02.011
  • Voigt, B., Aberle, I., Schonfeld, J., & Kliegel, M. (2011). Time-based prospective memory in schoolchildren: The role of self-initiation and strategic time monitoring. Zeitschrift Fur Psychologie-Journal of Psychology, 219(2), 92-99. https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/A000053
  • Voigt, B., Mahy, C. E. V., Ellis, J., Schnitzspahn, K., Krause, I., Altgassen, M., & Kliegel, M. (2014). The development of time-based prospective memory in childhood: The role of working memory updating. Developmental Psychology, 50(10), 2393-2404. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037491
  • Zuber, S., Haas, M., Framorando, D., Ballhausen, N., Gillioz, E., Künzi, M., & Kliegel, M. (2022) The Geneva Space Cruiser: A fully self-administered online tool to assess prospective memory across the adult lifespan. Memory, 30(2), 117-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2021.1995435
  • Zuber, S., Mahy, C. E. V., & Kliegel, M. (2019). How executive functions are associated with event-based and time-based prospective memory during childhood. Cognitive Development, 50, 66-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2019.03.001