Learning Principles in Aphasia Rehabilitation (Middleton et al., 2016)
journal contribution
posted on 2022-02-23, 05:21 authored by Erica L. Middleton, Myrna F. Schwartz, Katherine A. Rawson, Hilary Traut, Jay VerkuilenPurpose: The purpose of this article was to examine how
different types of learning experiences affect naming
impairment in aphasia.
Methods: In 4 people with aphasia with naming impairment,
we compared the benefits of naming treatment that
emphasized retrieval practice (practice retrieving target
names from long-term memory) with errorless learning
(repetition training, which preempts retrieval practice)
according to different schedules of learning. The design
was within subjects. Items were administered for multiple
training trials for retrieval practice or repetition in a spaced
schedule (an item’s trials were separated by multiple
unrelated trials) or massed schedule (1 trial intervened
between an item’s trials). In the spaced condition, we
studied 3 magnitudes of spacing to evaluate the impact
of effortful retrieval during training on the ultimate benefits
conferred by retrieval practice naming treatment. The
primary outcome was performance on a retention test of
naming after 1 day, with a follow-up test after 1 week.
Results: Group analyses revealed that retrieval practice
outperformed errorless learning, and spaced learning
outperformed massed learning at retention test and at
follow-up. Increases in spacing in the retrieval practice
condition yielded more robust learning of retrieved
information.
Conclusion: This study delineates the importance of
retrieval practice and spacing for treating naming impairment
in aphasia.
