Evaluation of the errorless learning technique in children with traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
To compare errorless learning with trial-and-error (T&E) learning of declarative facts in children with memory disorders secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI).


METHODS
Retrospective within-subjects concurrent treatment design.


METHODS
Participants' school or home.


METHODS
Thirty-four children, ages 6 to 18 years, with mild, moderate, or severe postacute TBI who met criteria for memory impairment.


METHODS
Conditions consisted of an errorless learning method and a T&E method. Within a session, half the items were taught with the errorless learning method and half with the T&E method. Each child received two 1-hour sessions a week for 7 weeks.


METHODS
Relative effectiveness of errorless learning and T&E methods for (1) initial learning and (2) retention over time for learned items.


RESULTS
There was an advantage for T&E on initial learning. In children with mild, but not moderate or severe TBI, 2-day retention was better with the errorless learning technique; 7-day retention was better with errorless learning in young children with mild TBI. Seventy-seven-day retention revealed an advantage for errorless learning in younger children with severe TBI.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings did not support errorless learning as a generalized intervention for learning difficulties after TBI or identify specific age- or injury-severity groups that benefited from this technique.
Landis
Julie
J
Department of Educational Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA. jalandis@uh.edu
Hanten
Gerri
G
Levin
Harvey S
HS
Li
Xiaoqi
X
Ewing-Cobbs
Linda
L
Duron
Jackie
J
High
Walter M
WM
D000293:Adolescent; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies