For many years, treatment for word retrieval deficits has involved the use of various cueing techniques to help trigger retrieval of target words. Research has shown that accuracy for future retrieval of target words is best achieved by training subjects with semantically based cues. Personalized cues that are created by the subjects themselves to help remember a target word have been shown to be the most effective of the semantically based cues. However, even with the use of personalized cues, accuracy for naming tasks has been found to decrease once training is completed. Current research in memory indicates that, for normal subjects, techniques that facilitate future recall of information include testing, additional study, overlearning, and distributed practice. This research examined the influence of posttraining maintenance sessions on the long term memory of subjects with aphasia. The goal was to compare the effect on naming accuracy for stimuli (a) presented in two additional training sessions (b) presented in one additional session, (c) not presented in any additional sessions. Additional sessions presented opportunities for testing, study, overlearning, and distributed practice for selected stimuli. Three adult male subjects with moderate aphasia created their own cues to help remember 30 pictures of famous characters. During training sessions, these cues were presented to trigger name recall. Following the end of the 3-week training period, the 30 pictures were divided into groups of 10 cards called, A, B, and C. There were two additional training sessions for A, one for B, and none for C. A probe following the last session showed that for two of the subjects, the addition of posttraining maintenance sessions acted to enhance naming accuracy, and two sessions resulted in much higher accuracy than one session. This is consistent with research with normal subjects and suggests that short intermittent training sessions can help maintain naming accuracy with subjects with aphasia.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:pdx.edu/oai:pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu:open_access_etds-6274 |
| Date | 09 May 1996 |
| Creators | Freed, Connie Allene |
| Publisher | PDXScholar |
| Source Sets | Portland State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Dissertations and Theses |
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