Comparison of Spaced Retrieval and Fading out Techniques in Teaching Name-Figure Relations to Older People with Dementia

Author(s)

Ducatti, Mariana ; Schmidt, Andreia

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ACTA COLOMBIANA DE PSICOLOGIA; v. 27, n. 2, p. 15-pg., 2024-07-01.

Abstract

People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have difficulty naming people and objects. Several erroless learning methods have been used to restore this repertoire, but few studies have compared different methods. The aim of this study was to compare the learning/recovery of picture naming performance using Spaced Retrieval (SR) and Fading Out (FO) procedures in older adults with AD. A repeated measures design was used with all participants going through the two teaching conditions. Participants were eight people with Alzheimer<acute accent>s disease (seven women), aged between 65 and 90 years (median 84.5 years), with a mean score of 14.5 on the Mini-Mental State Examination - convenience sample. Participants retrieved seven name-figure relations using the SR procedure and seven other relations using the FO procedure. Participants' performance in the two teaching conditions and between teaching and maintenance was compared using ANOVA. Both procedures were equally effective in teaching relations to all participants, as verified in the naming and maintenance tests. However, in the FO condition, the average time for teaching each relation was approximately 50% shorter than in the SR condition. In practical terms, the FO procedure was faster with fewer correction trials. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/50909-8 - INCT 2014: Behavior, Cognition and Teaching (INCT-ECCE): relational learning and symbolic functioning
• Grantee: Deisy das Graças de Souza
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants