Effects of mode of presentation on head-injured patients' recall of narrative information

Abstract

A 2 × 3 × 3 factorial design was used to examine the recall of units of verbal information by head‐injured (n = 12) and hospitalized controls (n = 12) under three modes of presentation and three recall times. Presentation of three instruments commonly used in memory assessment was counterbalanced among overt passive (standard administration), covert active (silent reading), and overt active (reading aloud) modes. Information recall was taken immediately after presentation, 20 minutes, and 48 hours later. Analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect for group, but no main effect for either mode of presentation or recall time. Confirmatory nonparametric analysis supported initial results. Findings are discussed with regard to potential implications for clinical assessment on brain‐injured patients and further research in memory assessment on this population.