Article

We explored expectations for outcomes during a research intervention
for people with stroke. METHOD: Twelve people with chronic stroke participated in
this secondary analysis from a pilot trial of a high-repetition, task-specific,
upper-extremity intervention. First, we examined relationships between individual
expectancy and session-by-session achievement of high numbers of repetitions.
Second, we examined the relationship between expectancy for the intervention as a
whole and improvements in upper-extremity motor function. We used Spearman
rank-order correlation coefficients to evaluate the relationships. RESULTS:
Correlations between individual expectancy and session-by-session achievement
ranged from 0 to .84. Expectancy for improvement from the intervention was good
(average = 7 of 10) but had a low correlation (.17) with actual improvement.
CONCLUSION: Individual expectancy ratings were inconsistently related to
session-by-session achievement. Expectancy for the invention as a whole was not
related to improvement in upper-extremity motor function.

Langue : ANGLAIS