Article

The goal of this study was to evaluate experimentally systematic instruction
compared with trial-and-error learning (conventional instruction) applied to
assistive technology for cognition (ATC), in a double-blind, pre-test-post-test,
randomised controlled trial. Twenty-nine persons with moderate-severe cognitive
impairments due to acquired brain injury (15 in systematic instruction group; 14
in conventional instruction) completed the study. Both groups received 12,
45-minute individual training sessions targeting selected skills on the Palm
Tungsten E2 personal digital assistant (PDA). A criterion-based assessment of PDA
skills was used to evaluate accuracy, fluency/efficiency, maintenance, and
generalisation of skills. There were no significant differences between groups at
immediate post-test with regard to accuracy and fluency. However, significant
differences emerged at 30-day follow-up in favour of systematic instruction.
Furthermore, systematic instruction participants performed significantly better
at immediate post-test generalising trained PDA skills when interacting with
people other than the instructor. These results demonstrate that systematic
instruction applied to ATC results in better skill maintenance and generalisation
than trial-and-error learning for individuals with moderate-severe cognitive
impairments due to acquired brain injury. Implications, study limitations, and directions for future research are discussed

Langue : ANGLAIS