WORD RECALL VERSUS READING SPEED - EVIDENCE OF PRESERVED PRIMING IN HEAD-INJURED PATIENTS

This study addressed a number of issues. One purpose was to test wheth er memory-impaired, head-injured patients show the same pattern of mem ory task dissociation as reported in amnesics, that is, impaired expli cit and intact implicit memory performance. The second purpose of this study was to apply the distinction between the acquisition and retent ion aspects of memory, which has not, as yet, been investigated adequa tely in the study of implicit memory. The third purpose was to evaluat e the contribution of intra-item and inter-item processes in implicit memory, A group of 18 head-injured (HI) patients and 18 control subjec ts participated in this study, Subjects read two lists of 15 words sev en times: five times consecutively, once after 20 min, and after a 1-h r delay. One list was read in the same order and the other in a differ ent order. Acquisition and retention of the information were measured explicitly (i.e., recall of words) and implicitly (i.e., priming-readi ng speed). The results indicated that novel information is preserved i n HI as in other amnesic patient groups, only when implicit, rather th an explicit, measures of memory are used. The effect of contextual man ipulation (i.e., order of presentation) was interpreted to suggest sim ilar involvement of intra- as well as inter-memory processes in implic it memory in normal and memory-impaired subjects. (C) 1996 Academic Pr ess, Inc.