Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R H Benedict

Publications and source records attributed to R H Benedict.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Effects of attention training on information processing in schizophrenia.

This study evaluated the impact of a cognitive retraining intervention designed to enhance the attention skills of schizophrenia patients. The dependent variables included measures of perceptual sensitivity and sustained vigilance derived from a visual continuous performance test, as well as visual span of apprehension and world-list recall. Sixteen subjects received approximately 15 hours of repeated practice with computer-mediated vigilance tasks. Seventeen subjects were assigned to a no-treatment control group. All subjects were rated on measures of negative and positive symptoms before treatment. Despite improved performance on the training tasks, no significant changes on the outcome measures were observed following treatment. Thus, it is suggested that cognitive rehabilitation interventions with schizophrenia patients stress the teaching of behavioral strategies that bypass deficits, rather than remediating deficiencies in basic abilities, such as attention.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Consideration of pigeon-holing and filtering as dysfunctional attention strategies in schizophrenia.

Difficulties in the use of both filtering and pigeon-holing strategies have been suggested as partial explanations for the information processing deficits typically noted with schizophrenic subjects. The study reported here examined the operation of both of these attentional strategies in a group of schizophrenic subjects and in a group of psychiatric control subjects. Subjects were asked to identify a target syllable in the presence of several levels of competing speech. A sensory filter could be profitably invoked when the target and the competing speech were presented to separate ears. Pigeon-holing was assumed to facilitate performance when both the target and the competition occurred in both ears. Results suggested that schizophrenic subjects are relatively efficient in using filtering strategies, but have more difficulty employing pigeon-holing strategies to allocate efficiently attentional resources.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The construct validity of the Four Word Short-Term Memory Test: a preliminary study.

Recent research with the Four Word Short-Term Memory Test (STMT) has suggested that it may provide information useful in the clinical setting. The present study evaluated the construct validity of the STMT. Twenty subjects were administered the STMT in addition to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Wechsler Memory Scale. As expected, performance on the STMT was significantly correlated with both Memory Quotient and Verbal Intelligence Quotient. A stepwise linear regression analysis suggested a trend toward significance for the relationship between the STMT and MQ, after accounting for the influence of Verbal Intelligence Quotient. The data suggest the need for a verbal intelligence correction when using the STMT clinically.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Remediation of attention deficits in chronic schizophrenic patients: a preliminary study.

This study investigated the utility of cognitive retraining procedures in the treatment of schizophrenia. Twenty in-patients were matched on reaction time and assigned to one of three groups: experimental-treatment, attention-placebo and no-treatment control. Subjects participating in the experimental attention-training programme exhibited significantly greater reaction-time improvement than controls. The data suggest that practice on cognitive tasks can improve the attentional performance of chronic schizophrenic patients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Limitation of the Mini-Mental State Examination for the detection of amnesia.

The present study demonstrates the limitation of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for detecting the amnestic syndrome. Although neuropsychological testing yielded severe memory deficits in all of the 11 amnesic patients tested, six of the patients obtained total MMSE scores above the standard cutoff score of 24. Further, only six patients completely failed the MMSE recall item, and three patients performed errorlessly on this item. Results from one postencephalitic patient are presented in detail. She performed the serial sevens task very quickly and subsequently recalled all three of the to-be-remembered words. Her performance on other memory tests confirmed that a longer retention interval than that provided by the MMSE is necessary to elicit her memory disorder.

Aged↗