ABSTRACT
Cognition is an important factor in functioning, but as we have already discussed there was little optimism that cognition might change. This was true even though there was considerable enthusiasm within the general public to improve thinking skills. For instance, Tony Buzan is now a best selling author for his series of books showing how ‘mind maps’ can improve learning and memory (Buzan and Buzan, 1996) and most railway station bookshops contain at least one book on how to improve your memory for names and figures. Techniques for the improvement of cognitive skills are also established in the field of traumatic brain injury and stroke where recommendations for clinical practice contain reference to different evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation methods (e.g. Cicerone et al., 2000).
