Errorless learning improves memory performance in children with acquired brain injury: A controlled comparison of standard and self-generation techniques

Abstract

The principle of errorless learning has proven efficacy in helping adults and older adults with acquired memory impairment learn novel information. However, surprisingly few studies have investigated its efficacy in children. The present study addresses this omission in the literature, investigating the effectiveness of two forms of errorless learning — the established method, in which the examiner provides responses during learning, and a self-generation method, in which learners produce their own responses — each relative to the standard baseline of trial-and-error learning, in young people with acquired brain injury (ABI, n = 15) and non-injured controls (n = 15). Participants learned different word lists in each condition and their memory was tested after distraction and, subsequently, after a 20-minute delay. Not surprisingly, controls performed better than the ABI group. However, while there was no effect of learning condition for controls, in the ABI group memory performance was significantly better under errorless conditions. In contrast to findings in the adult literature, there was no difference in the efficacy of the two errorless methods, suggesting that self-generation was no better than standard examiner-generation. This study extends upon previous research to provide the first demonstration of the effectiveness of errorless methods in a group of young people with ABI.

Keywords:

• Errorless learning
• Brain injury
• Memory rehabilitation
• Young people

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank clients and families for taking part in the study and Alexandra Patrick and Jessica Porter for their help in data collection. The authors declare no conflict of interest and no sources of financial support.