The acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of problem-solving skills by closed head-injured adults

This study developed and evaluated a program for teaching a problem-solving strategy to closed head-injured adults. Four general areas were targeted for training: Community Awareness and Transportation; Medication, Alcohol, and Drugs; Stating One's Rights; and Emergencies, Injuries, and Safety. The program featured cue cards, response-specific feedback, modeling, self-monitoring, positive reinforcement, response practice, self-correction, and individualized performance criterion levels. The experimental group (N=3) received baseline, training, probes, and pre/posttraining generalization assessments, whereas the contrast group (N=3) received only the pre/posttraining assessments. The generalization assessments were conducted via interviews and staged interactions and contained situations that were both similar and dissimilar to the training situations. The six-month posttraining results revealed that the experimental subjects' problem-solving skills had generalized to both types of situations whereas the contrast group showed little change. Furthermore, the experimental group's six-month scores were comparable to those of a group of normal individuals. The program appears to offer promise as a means of teaching problem-solving since it uses standardized training procedures, is socially valid, and produces effects that generalize.