Learning potential in persons with serious mental illness: investigating intra-individual differences in the learning process
Date
2015-05-19Metadata
[+] Show full item recordAbstract
Learning potential has been explored as a possible mechanism to predict positive
rehabilitation outcomes in people with SMI (e.g., Green et al. 2000). More recent
research has identified a strong relationship between attention and working memory tasks
and improvement after training on dynamic assessments (i.e. learning potential), which
may indicate a dependence on these key neurocognitive constructs. The primary aim of
the current study, to measure the influence of working memory and attention skills within
the learning process, is an important next step in current research investigating learning
potential in people with SMI. A total of 192 participants with an SMI diagnosis
(schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder) completed a
battery of neurocognitive and psychiatric measures. Participants also completed a testtrain-
test intervention using the Wisconsin Card Sorting test. Participants were
categorized as high performers, learners or non-learner based on their intervention
performance. Correlational analyses revealed that large and moderate effect sizes were
seen in relationships between learning potential and variables conceptualized to capture
working memory and attention. Further, comparison of the strength of correlations
iv
between neurocognitive variables and learning potential showed a stronger relationship
with tasks associated with working memory. It has been demonstrated that cognitive
performance can serve as an indicator of how well a person will do in response to
interventions designed to improve functional outcomes. By measuring learning potential
performance, intervention response can be further enhanced by identifying target areas
for remediation, such as working memory. Rehabilitation efforts and functional outcomes
can be strengthened by a greater understanding of the learning process and knowledge of
how people with SMI learn, therefore maximizing the utility of current intervention and
community services.
Table of Contents
Introduction -- Review of literature -- Methodology -- Results -- Discussion
Degree
Ph.D.