Memory Strategies for Closed-Head-Injured Patients.

Word-finding difficulties are a common and prominent language deficit following closed head injury. The word-finding difficulties of three closed head injured patients were investigated within the framework of compensatory strategies using Teicher's Taxonomy of Word-Finding Strategies (Teicher, 1986). The word-finding difficulties were evaluated during procedural discourse and two confrontation naming conditions. Each subject's communicative competence and language ability was determined. Results indicated that all subjects employed a wide range of strategies, particularly during confrontation naming, but with differential effectiveness. A relationship was noted between the strategy's effectiveness and the subject's pragmatic ability. The results are discussed in the light of the existing literature on head injury. The theoretical and clinical implications are considered.

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Relative importance of informational units and their role in long-term recall by closed-head-injured patients and control groups.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology ◽

10.1037/0022-006x.60.5.802 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 60 (5) ◽

pp. 802-803 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Eli Vakil ◽

Nurit Arbell ◽

Michal Gozlan ◽

Dan Hoofien ◽

Haya Blachstein

Keyword(s):

Relative Importance ◽

Control Groups ◽

Head Injured ◽

Closed Head ◽

Injured Patients ◽

And Control

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WAIS Performance during the Acute Recovery Stage following Closed-Head Injury

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1993.76.1.99 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 76 (1) ◽

pp. 99-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Robert E. Correll ◽

Shirley E Brodginski ◽

Saundra F. Rokosz

Keyword(s):

Head Injury ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Block Design ◽

Closed Head Injury ◽

Psychiatric Inpatients ◽

Control Group ◽

Head Injured ◽

Closed Head ◽

Information Processing Deficits ◽

Injured Patients

WAIS profiles of 50 acute closed head-injured patients were examined and compared with those of 40 psychiatric inpatients. Patients with moderate and severe, but not with mild, head injury differed significantly from the control group on level of subtest performance. There was no significant interaction of group by subtest. The groups also differed significantly on a measure of between-subtest scatter. Discriminant function analysis incorporating measures of within-subtest scatter correctly classified 89% of all subjects. Within the head-injured group Similarities and Block Design scores were elevated, and the Digit Symbol score depressed. These results indicate that closed head-injured patients can be discriminated from psychiatric inpatients on the basis of WAIS performance, but that they do not necessarily show a characteristic WAIS profile. Within-subtest scatter may indicate information-processing deficits.

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