Delayed Feedback Improves Learning in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
Delayed Feedback Improves Learning in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
Publication status: preprint
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Original abstract
Background: Learning and memory deficits are common in Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Effectively processing performance-related feedback is integral to learning but is often impaired in PD. Delaying feedback presentation by 6 seconds has been shown to circumvent these deficits during incremental learning tasks. The potential learning benefits of longer feedback delays, however, are unknown. The current study examined the effects of a 6-second delay and a 25-minute delay on learning during a declarative memory task in individuals with PD. Methods: Thirty participants with PD completed a verbal paired-associates task, during which they learned word pairs via trial-by-trial accuracy feedback presented immediately after making responses (No Delay; ND), after a 6-second delay (Short Delay; SD), and after a 25-minute delay (Long Delay; LD). Mixed effects models examined the influence of feedback timing condition on both final test performance and on improvement in performance between the learning and test phases. Exploratory hierarchical mixed models with neuropsychological tests examined potential individual difference predictors of delayed feedback learning. Results: Both SD feedback and LD feedback predicted significantly greater improvement in performance, compared to ND feedback. Better working memory performance on the Digit Span Backwards Test predicted significantly greater improvement from LD feedback. Conclusion: Longer feedback delays improve learning during a paired associates word learning task in individuals with PD. Shorter delays previously demonstrated to benefit incremental learning may also benefit other forms of learning. Working memory capacity may be an important predictor of these learning benefits.