Passive Elaborative Cueing of Retrieval ProcessesFollowing Traumatic Brain Injury

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Semantic elaboration is a process in which target information is analyzed in relation to content associated in meaning. The goal of the present study was to examine the use of phrasal cues intended to engage elaborative processes theorized to bolster cognitive performance.

Methods

Twenty-two individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and twenty-six neurotypical (NT) individuals were studied. Short phrases intended to elicit elaborative encoding were presented prior to the introduction of a prospective memory task and word-stem completions. Phrases embodied one of three conditions: repeated, semantic, or unrelated information. The stem-completion task was presented between each prospective memory task with fixations serving as cues signaling task completion or functioning as distractors. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were captured during the presentation of word-stems. Following the completion of all word-stems, participants were presented with an old/new recognition task.

Results

Linear mixed-effects model analyses revealed a significant effect of condition with respect to word retrieval and recognition memory. Captured ERPs revealed neural signatures resembling a P200.

Conclusion

Semantic content increased stimulus saliency, facilitated lexical retrieval, and enhanced retention with the latter process revealing use of semantic cues as a more adept rehearsal strategy than repetition.

KEYWORDS:

• Cueing
• traumatic brain injury
• cognitive-communication
• elaboration
• ERP
• priming

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Correction

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Drs. Eiling Yee, Tammie Spaulding, Nicole Landi, and Roland Hancock for their input about study design and thoughtful feedback regarding data analysis and interpretation. Additional thanks to Drs. Peter Molfese, Jon Sprouse, and Mora Reinka for providing time and insight regarding EEG/ERP data collection and analysis techniques. Thank you to Dr. Karen Lê for providing feedback regarding data dissemination. Thank you to research assistants, Anna Holden, Michelle Vela, and Tyler Fitzgerald for all their hard work in aiding data collection and to Monica Ly aiding the initial pilot work.

Disclosure statement

The author(s) have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation IGERT grant DGE-1144399. National Science Foundation [IGERT DGE/1144399];