A descriptive study of the relationship of selected neuropsychological factors and cognitive learning styles of alcoholics
Year: 2003
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Educational theories and practices that substantiate effective learning and \ndevelopment are seldom emphasized in the psychoeducational component of \nrecovery programs for alcoholism. The primary purpose of this research was to \nstudy the relationship between selected neuropsychological and personality \nvariables and cognitive learning styles of alcoholics during different lengths of \ntime alcohol free. The whole population in this study consisted of 126 male and \nfemale self-selected subjects ranging in age from 18 to 65 years. Ethnic \nbackgrounds were mixed. All subjects identified themselves as alcoholics. \nSubjects were associated with a psychoeducational treatment center and \nAlcoholics Anonymous. The whole group had from 0 days of sobriety to 35 years \nof abstinence. Subjects completed a demographic instrument, two cognitive tests \n(Shipley Institute of Living Scale-Vocabulary and Abstraction Test-SILS and the \nGroup Embedded Figures Test -GEFT) and one learning styles inventory (Kolb \nLearning Styles Inventory-LSI). The mean IQ scores on the SILS for ethnic \nsubjects and the group with 28 days or less sobriety were significantly lower than \nthe white-non-Hispanic with 29 days or more sobriety. A need for more ethnic \nrepresentation in the study limited some results. \nInteraction effects were identified between those subjects with less than 28 \ndays of sobriety and 29 days or more sobriety on SILS vocabulary and abstraction \nscores. The two sample groups (newly sober and longer term sober) did not show \na significant difference in abstraction skills on the GEFT. Field dependence was \nnot a significant outcome. The SILS T- scores were higher than the average scores \nsuggested in the SILS testing manual. Interaction effects between ethnicity and \neducation were identified suggesting these variables may be as significant in this \ngroup as length of sobriety. More research was recommended to identify the \nvocabulary of recovery since addiction literature indicates that alcoholics with \nhigher cognitive restructuring skills may have longer terms of sobriety. No \nspecific learning style was identified for the group by the data from the Kolb LSI. \nSince the LSI pointed toward more individualized instruction for the group, the \nstudy suggests Vygotskian theories of dynamic assessment and attention to the \ncurriculum and instruction of recovery programs may be applicable when \ndesigning instruction for the psychoeducational component of recovery programs \nand may be as important in recovery as length of sobriety during treatment.
Author: Nick Sanders
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1837991622