Verbal learning and verbal behavior.

Author(s):  
Barbara S. Musgrave
2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 660-672
Author(s):  
Suzanne H. Kimball ◽  
Toby Hamilton ◽  
Erin Benear ◽  
Jonathan Baldwin

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the emotional tone and verbal behavior of social media users who self-identified as having tinnitus and/or hyperacusis that caused self-described negative consequences on daily life or health. Research Design and Method An explanatory mixed-methods design was utilized. Two hundred “initial” and 200 “reply” Facebook posts were collected from members of a tinnitus group and a hyperacusis group. Data were analyzed via the LIWC 2015 software program and compared to typical bloggers. As this was an explanatory mixed-methods study, we used qualitative thematic analyses to explain, interpret, and illustrate the quantitative results. Results Overall, quantitative results indicated lower overall emotional tone for all categories (tinnitus and hyperacusis, initial and reply), which was mostly influenced by higher negative emotion. Higher levels of authenticity or truth were found in the hyperacusis sample but not in the tinnitus sample. Lower levels of clout (social standing) were indicated in all groups, and a lower level of analytical thinking style (concepts and complex categories rather than narratives) was found in the hyperacusis sample. Additional analysis of the language indicated higher levels of sadness and anxiety in all groups and lower levels of anger, particularly for initial replies. These data support prior findings indicating higher levels of anxiety and depression in this patient population based on the actual words in blog posts and not from self-report questionnaires. Qualitative results identified 3 major themes from both the tinnitus and hyperacusis texts: suffering, negative emotional tone, and coping strategies. Conclusions Results from this study suggest support for the predominant clinical view that patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis have higher levels of anxiety and depression than the general population. The extent of the suffering described and patterns of coping strategies suggest clinical practice patterns and the need for research in implementing improved practice plans.


2010 ◽  
Vol 218 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slawomira J. Diener ◽  
Herta Flor ◽  
Michèle Wessa

Impairments in declarative memory have been reported in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fragmentation of explicit trauma-related memory has been assumed to impede the formation of a coherent memorization of the traumatic event and the integration into autobiographic memory. Together with a strong non-declarative memory that connects trauma reminders with a fear response the impairment in declarative memory is thought to be involved in the maintenance of PTSD symptoms. Fourteen PTSD patients, 14 traumatized subjects without PTSD, and 13 non-traumatized healthy controls (HC) were tested with the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) to assess verbal declarative memory. PTSD symptoms were assessed with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale and depression with the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Several indices of the CVLT pointed to an impairment in declarative memory performance in PTSD, but not in traumatized persons without PTSD or HC. No group differences were observed if recall of memory after a time delay was set in relation to initial learning performance. In the PTSD group verbal memory performance correlated significantly with hyperarousal symptoms, after concentration difficulties were accounted for. The present study confirmed previous reports of declarative verbal memory deficits in PTSD. Extending previous results, we propose that learning rather than memory consolidation is impaired in PTSD patients. Furthermore, arousal symptoms may interfere with successful memory formation in PTSD.


2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl H. Wiedl ◽  
Henning Schöttke ◽  
M. Dolores Calero Garcia

Summary: Dynamic assessment is a diagnostic approach in which specific interventions are integrated into assessment procedures to estimate cognitive modifiability. The study investigates the utility of this approach in persons with compelling rehabilitational needs. Samples of schizophrenic patients and of elderly with and without dementia were assessed with dynamic versions of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Both tests were administered by applying specific procedures of verbal mediation designed to increase performance. Results demonstrated superior predictive validity with regard to proficiency in a clinical training in schizophrenic subjects and better discrimination of nondemented and demented elderly with the help of dynamic measures compared to static test scores. Subsequent correlational analyses indicated that, for both tests, performance change following intervention is related to the processing of verbal context information. Results are discussed with respect to the concept of verbal working memory as one component of the patients' rehabilitation potential.


1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dietmar Heubrock

Performance on a German version of the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) was investigated for 64 juvenile patients who were subdivided in 6 clinical groups. In addition to standard evaluation of AVLT protocols which is usually confined to items recalled correctly, an error analysis was performed. Differentiating between total errors (TE), repetition errors (RE), and misnamings (ME), substantial differences between clinical groups could be demonstrated. It is argued that error analysis of verbal memory and learning enriches the understanding of neuropsychological syndromes, and provides additional information for diagnostic and clinical use. Thus, it is possible to gain a more accurate picture so that patients can be appropriately retrained, and research into the functional causes of memory and learning disorders can be intensified.


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