ABSTRACT
In a similar manner to that of data from Block I, the number of blue words participants reported in Block 2 (PM performance following reminder) was analyzed through the Kruskal-Wallis procedure, which failed to find overall significant group differences (p = .08). Follow-up analyses were then conducted to determine if the performance of the Ortho group differed significantly from the Mild or Severe TBI groups. Regarding benefit of a reminder, the Mild TBI group performed at a level comparable to that of the Ortho group (Z = .42, p = .34), but the Severe TBI group did not appear to benefit from the reminder (Z = 2.08, p < .03) compared to the Ortho group. Although the Mild TBI group recalled more words following the reminder compared to the Severe TBI group, the difference failed to reach significance (Z = -1.52, p = .07). Given the large proportion of participants with TBI who failed to indicate blue words in Block 1, analysis turned to the proportions of subjects who indicated at least one of the two blue words presented following the PM reminder half-way through the category decision task. Although the groups appeared to differ substantially (Ortho 92.9%, Mild 75.0%, Severe 57.1 %), the result was not significant (Fisher's Exact Test, p = .10). In follow-up analyses, few in the Severe TBI group appeared to benefit from the reminder to perform the PM task compared to the Ortho group (Fisher's Exact Test, p < .04), and the Ortho and Mild TBI groups benefited from the reminder at a comparable rate (Fisher's Exact Test, p = .21). Finally, performance of the Mild and Severe TBI groups was examined, revealing that, although a greater proportion of participants in the Mild TBI group appeared to benefit from the reminder of the PM task compared to the Severe TBI group, this difference was not significant (Fisher's Exact Test, p = .26).
