Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Facilitation of memory performance through induced semantic processing in survivors of severe closed-head injury

1990; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 12; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/01688639008400975

0168-8634

Felicia C. Goldstein, Harvey S. Levin, Corwin Boake, John H. Lohrey,

Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

Abstract This study examined whether survivors of severe closed-head injury (CHI) show a relative benefit in memory for words that are processed semantically versus words that are processed physically or acoustically. Sixteen long-term CHI patients and 14 demographically matched controls were administered a Levels of Processing paradigm involving detection of semantic (categorical), physical (letter), or acoustic (rhyme) features of to-be-remembered words. Semantic processing enhanced recognition memory and cued recall in the CHI patients, but the degree of facilitation was reduced relative to controls. The results indicate that attention to semantic features facilitates memory performance in survivors but may require greater cognitive effort. Implications for the remediation of memory impairments following CHI are discussed.