The rapid screen of concussion: An evaluation of the non-word repetition test for use in mTBI research

Primary objectives: (1) To investigate the Nonword Repetition test (NWR) as an index of sub-vocal rehearsal deficits after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI); (2) to assess the reliability, validity and sensitivity of the NWR; and (3) to compare the NWR to more sensitive tests of verbal memory. Research design: An independent groups design. Methods and procedures: Study 1 administered the NWR to 46 mTBI and 61 uninjured controls with the Rapid Screen of Concussion (RSC). Study 2 compared mTBI, orthopaedic and uninjured participants on the NWR and the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT-R). Main outcomes and results: The NWR did not improve the diagnostic accuracy of the RSC. However, it is reliable and indexes sub-vocal rehearsal speed. These findings provide evidence that although the current form of the NWR lacks sensitivity to the impact of mTBI, the development of a more sensitive test of sub-vocal rehearsal deficits following mTBI is warranted

The longer-term effects of a brief hazard perception training intervention in older drivers

Previous research has shown that drivers aged over 65 years can improve their scores in video-based hazard perception tests following training interventions. In order to examine the longer-term effects of hazard perception training, we recruited 75 drivers aged 65 and over. They either received a 35-min hazard perception training intervention or a placebo intervention. Significant decreases in hazard perception response time as a result of the training were found immediately after the intervention, and approximately 1 month and 3 months later. There was no significant decay in the training effect over this time period

T1 difficulty affects the AB: Manipulating T1 word frequency and T1 orthographic neighbor frequency

Colored target words were presented with distractor nonwords in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task. In Experiment 1, the attentional blink (AB) effect on T2 accuracy was larger when T1 was a difficult (low-frequency) word than when it was a high-frequency word. In Experiment 2 the effect of T1 frequency on the AB was replicated in a between-participants design, and the frequency of T1's one-letter different neighbors (e.g., case, bare, for care) interacted with T1 frequency in its effects on T2 accuracy. Experiment 3 confirmed the effect of T1 frequency over 6\ua0T1-T2 lags. The effects of T1 characteristics were sensitively assessed in the AB and were more consistent with resource depletion theories than control-process accounts