Prospective Memory in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Clawson, Deborah M (Advisor); Settle, Jill Renee (Author); Howard, Jr., James H (Other); Duncan, Connie C (Other)

Degree awarded: Ph.D. Psychology. The Catholic University of America

93 p.

http://hdl.handle.net/1961/cuislandora:28286

Clawson, Deborah M

http://hdl.handle.net/1961/cuislandora:28286

Howard, Jr., James H; Duncan, Connie C

Cognitive psychology; Experimental psychology; Neurosciences; Implementation Intentions; Prospective Memory; Traumatic Brain Injury

2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Prospective memory (PM) enables us to remember the intention to perform an action in the future. Following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), the brain structures supporting PM can be compromised. PM is essential for remembering activities specific to TBI survivors that promote recovery, such as following doctors' orders, taking necessary medications, completing physical rehabilitation exercises, and maintaining supportive social relationships. To date, more than 258,000 US Service Members have incurred an mTBI; however, little has been done to address PM complaints. Therefore, identifying interventions that may ameliorate PM deficits is especially important. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether the use of implementation intentions leads to better PM performance than rote rehearsal in Service Members with mTBI (n = 35) or with injuries but no TBI (n = 8) at baseline and six months later. Participants were randomized to encoding condition and asked to remember to complete a series of tasks during a single study visit. Tasks consisted of: (1) telling the experimenter the time on the clock during each of four breaks during an event-related potential (ERP) session, (2) remembering to ask for a personal belonging to be returned when the electrode cap was removed, (3) remembering to place a study survey in a specific box when handed a towel, and (4) remembering to call or text the experimenter during a prescribed two-hour window later that day. PM performance was scored such that participants received one point for each task that they completed at the appropriate time. Participants using implementation intentions significantly outperformed those using rote rehearsal. The effect of injury type and the interaction between encoding condition and injury type were not significant. Although this study was underpowered statistically, the use of implementation intentions resulted in better PM performance than rote rehearsal. Thus, the use of implementation intentions may be a useful PM remediation strategy for those who have experienced mTBI.

Text; Dissertation

Settle_cua_0043A_10584

The Catholic University of America