Implicit and Explicit Learning in Aphasia

Schuchard, Julia and Thompson, Cynthia K. (2012) Implicit and Explicit Learning in Aphasia. [Clinical Aphasiology Paper]

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Abstract

Implicit learning is an incidental, inductive learning process that occurs without the use of explicit strategies. To date, few studies have investigated implicit learning subsequent to stroke, and almost all have used visuomotor tasks (e.g., Boyd & Winstein, 2004; 2006; Exner, Weniger, & Irle, 2001; Gomez-Beldarrain, Garcia-Monco, Rubio, & Pascual-Leone, 1998; Orrell, Eves, Masters, & MacMahon, 2007). The present study used a Serial Search Task developed by Goschke and colleagues (2001) to examine implicit and explicit learning of an auditory word sequence in individuals with stroke-induced agrammatic aphasia and healthy age-matched adults. The present study also included a listening sentence span task to evaluate working memory. Research indicates that many aphasic individuals have working memory impairments, which are highly interrelated with language comprehension and overall aphasia severity (Caspari, Parkinson, LaPointe, & Katz, 1998; Friedmann & Gvion, 2003; Sung et al., 2009; Wright & Shisler, 2005). However, little is known about how working memory deficits relate to learning in aphasia.

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