title: Teaching memory-impaired people to touch type: the acquisition of a useful complex perceptual-motor skill.
abstract: This study provides ecological validity for laboratory findings that people with memory difficulties following brain injury can learn new skills. This was done by testing the acquisition of a useful real-world perceptual-motor skill. Using a conventional computer software training package supplemented by one-to-one coaching, a woman with severely impaired memory and a man with poor memory learned to touch type. They achieved the initial criterion of 20 wpm with over 90% accuracy; reached a top speed of 30 wpm and retained their skill a year later. The memory-impaired participants received short sessions of distributed practice and as far as possible were taught under error-free learning conditions. Their performance was broadly comparable with that of two non-memory-impaired comparison participants in terms of acquisition, consolidation and transfer, speed and accuracy, and retention.
authors.affiliation: University of Bolton, Bolton, UK. mary@basiccharity.org.uk
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barrow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014110:Touch