Mobile app learning in memory intervention for acquired brain injury: Neuropsychological associations of training duration

ABSTRACT

Memory impairment is a common consequence of acquired brain injury, often leading to functional difficulties day-to-day and decreased independence. Memory Link is a theory-driven training programme for individuals with moderate-to-severe memory dysfunction, which enables the acquisition of digital device skills for functional compensation. The present study examined how neuropsychological functioning and initial training performance contribute to training duration in our outpatient memory rehabilitation programme. A retrospective chart review was conducted, extending 12 years into the past, yielding data from 37 eligible participants. All participants demonstrated skill learning of the calendar function in their digital device to the criterion point. The results showed that performance on neuropsychological tests of explicit memory (e.g., CVLT-II, BVMT-R), processing speed (e.g., Digit Symbol Coding, Trail Making sequencing), executive functioning (e.g., Trail Making switching), and perceptual ability (i.e., Block Design) were significantly associated with training duration to learn the core steps of calendar use. Furthermore, linear regression revealed that initial training performance was a significant predictor of training duration. Lastly, profile of cognitive impairment, with regard to severity of memory functioning and the presence of additional deficits, was found to be a significant factor contributing to how many training trials were required to learn application skills.

KEYWORDS:

• Cognitive rehabilitation
• memory intervention
• memory impairment
• implicit learning
• skill acquisition

Acknowledgements

We thank Alita Fernandez, Claire Dreyfuss, Alaina Thomas, and Jaanuha Sritharan for help with chart review data extraction.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Other notes

A subset of the present sample has been used in previous publications focused on a different data set (see Svoboda et al., 2012, 2015)

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 Note that statistical analyses for all other objectives were re-run with the same outliers removed; the main findings reported were generally not affected.