Model System:

TBI

Reference Type:

Journal

Accession No.:

Journal:


Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

, 95, 2, 390-396

Publication Website:

Abstract:

Objective
To investigate whether retrieval practice (RP) improves delayed recall after short and long delays in survivors of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) relative to massed restudy (MR) and spaced restudy (SR).

Design
3(learning condition: MR, SR, RP)×2(delayed recall: 30min, 1wk) within-subject experiment.

Setting
Nonprofit medical rehabilitation research center.

Participants
Memory-impaired (

Intervention
During RP, patients are quizzed on to-be-learned information shortly after it is presented, such that patients practice retrieval. MR consists of repeated restudy (ie, cramming). SR consists of restudy trials separated in time (ie, distributed learning).

Main Outcome Measures
Forty-eight verbal paired associates (VPAs) were equally divided across 3 learning conditions (16 per condition). Delayed recall for one half of the VPAs was assessed after 30 minutes (8 per condition) and for the other half after 1 week (8 per condition).

Results
There was a large effect of learning condition after the short delay (P<.001 with="" much="" better="" recall="" of="" vpas="" studied="" through="" rp="" relative="" to="" mr="" and="" sr="" this="" large="" effect="" learning="" condition="" remained="" after="" the="" long="" delay="" as="" patients="" recalled="" but="" nothing="" only="" sr.="" that="" is="" was="" essentially="" result="" in="" successful="" week="" most="" recalling="" at="" least="" vpa.="">

Conclusions
The robust effect of RP among TBI survivors with severe memory impairment engenders confidence that this strategy would work outside the laboratory to improve memory in real-life settings. Future randomized controlled trials of RP training are needed.

Author(s):


James Sumowski, PhD, Julia Coyne, PhD, Amanda Cohen, BA, and John DeLuca, PhD

Participating Centers: