| Author: | Kwan, Wing-lok Ivan |
| Title: | Mental imagery for promoting stimulus generalization of patients suffered from stroke |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Imagery (Psychology) Cerebrovascular disease -- Patients -- Rehabilitation |
| Department: | Department of Rehabilitation Sciences |
| Pages: | x, 86 leaves ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | This study examined the use of mental imagery in promoting the stimulus generalization from training (familiar) to novel environments. It was postulated that mental imagery would improve the generalization of learnt skills across different environments and thus increase the generalization power of the skills learnt for patients with stroke. A total of 21 patients diagnosed with cerebral infarction with a mean age of 67.9 years were matched and randomly assigned to the experimental (n=10) and control groups (n=11). The experimental group intervention was the mental imagery program of relearning consisting of chunking, self-regulation, and mental rehearsal training components. The control group intervention consisted of the rote learning method in a conventional occupational therapy program. The frequency of training in both programs was 5 times a week for 3 weeks with a duration of 60 minutes per session. All patients also received standardized physiotherapy training consisting of limb function, balance, and walking training. In the experimental group, the patients were required to learn how to perform 15 complicated daily tasks. In both programs, the performance of 5 tasks in Level III of the program was evaluated post-program. At the post-program assessment, patients were tested on their performance in training and novel environments. In addition, protocol analysis was adopted in different environments at the assessment intervals. The results indicated that patients in the experimental group showed significantly higher levels of task performance in the mean task competence scores (F(1,19)=6.39, p=0.021). Significant differences were also found in competence task scores between the testing carried out in the training (familiar) and novel environments (F(1,19)=9.44, p<0.006). The content analysis revealed that most of the patients in the experimental group (70%) applied mental imagery strategy when performing the test tasks both in the training and novel environments. The findings suggest that the mental imagery program of relearning is useful for enhancing the stimulus generalization from training (familiar) to novel environments. Future research should focus on the clinical outcomes in term of community re-integration and improvement in the quality of life of patients with stroke. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b17404149.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.67 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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