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Retrieval Practice Principles: A Theory of Learning for Aphasia Rehabilitation

Award Number: R01DC015516
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2017
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2023

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Retrieval Practice Principles: A Theory of Learning for Aphasia Rehabilitation - With over 1 million sufferers today, aphasia is a prevalent impairment after left-hemisphere stroke that affects the production or comprehension of spoken, written, or gestured speech. We contend, as have others, that effective prioritization and optimization of available treatment methods for aphasia requires an understanding of how the damaged system responds to different kinds of learning experiences, i.e., a theory of learning. This proposal is dedicated to furthering development of a theory of learning for aphasia rehabilitation based on powerful learning principles derived from basic psychological research (i.e., retrieval practice or RP principles). Our prior research provided an empirical foundation for the RP theory of learning by demonstrating its relevance for the treatment of naming impairment, a ubiquitous symptom experienced by people with aphasia (PWA) involving difficulty reliably naming common, everyday objects. In our prior work, we showed that treatment that provides `retrieval practice' (practice retrieving names for objects from long- term memory) conferred greater persistent benefit than a popular form of naming treatment that does not involve retrieval practice (errorless learning). In confirmation of a relate `spacing' principle, we also found treatment benefits were enhanced when repeated training trials for an item were spaced over time, as opposed to massed together. In this foundational work, we studied a relatively homogeneous group of PWA in that naming was the sole or primary area affected. In the current proposal we take important next steps to articulate the broader clinical and theoretical significance of our learning theory by studying how the RP principles impact naming impairment in aphasia more generally (Study 1); examining the principles' relevance for treating word comprehension deficits (i.e., problems reliably accessing the meanings of familiar words) in aphasia (Studies 1 & 2); and, by developing a theoretical account of how the RP principles impact word retrieval processes in production (Studies 3-5). Study 1 will examine how the RP principles impact naming impairment and the transfer of benefit from naming treatment to word comprehension performance in a heterogeneous and well-characterized sample of PWA. In individual differences analyses, we will examine variability in response to the principles as a function of breakdown in primary components of word processing and cognition, thereby providing benchmarks for how best to prioritize the different learning experiences examined given a PWA's profile of cognitive-linguistic deficits. Study 2 also focuses on comprehension, asking whether the RP principles influence the efficacy of receptive forms of treatment in PWA with severe word comprehension deficits. Study 3 examines conditions under which failed retrieval practice confers benefit. Study 4 investigates potential mechanisms to explain why effort enhances the benefits from successful retrieval practice. Finally, Study 5 will formalize the RP theory in a computational framework that will promote integration of existing models of lexical learning and use.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$3,870 )
2025	2021	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	1/13/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$3,870
														Subtotal = -$3,870

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $617,179 )
2024	2024	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	002	7	8/14/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$617,179
2024	2023	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	6	6/25/2024	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$131,136
2024	2021	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	6/25/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$131,136
														Subtotal = $617,179

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $623,739 )
2023	2023	THOMAS JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY	1020 WALNUT ST STE 1	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19107	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	002	6	6/9/2023	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$623,739
2023	2021	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	3/9/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2023	2021	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	5	6/2/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $623,739

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $478,683 )
2021	2021	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	5	4/20/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$478,683
														Subtotal = $478,683

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $478,683 )
2020	2020	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	4	3/25/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$478,683
														Subtotal = $478,683

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $478,683 )
2019	2019	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	3	4/9/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$478,683
														Subtotal = $478,683

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $478,683 )
2018	2018	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	001	2	4/3/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$47,869
2018	2018	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	2	3/28/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$430,814
														Subtotal = $478,683

Issue Date FY: 2017 ( Subtotal = $490,415 )
2017	2017	ALBERT EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE NETWORK	5501 OLD YORK RD	PHILADELPHIA	PA	19141	PHILADELPHIA	USA	Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders	000	1	2/13/2017	NEW	$490,415
														Subtotal = $490,415

Grand Total All Awards = $3,642,195

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Retrieval Practice Principles: A Theory of Learning for Aphasia Rehabilitation

Award Number: R01DC015516

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DEAFNESS AND OTHER COMMUNICATION DISORDERS

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2017

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2023

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