Occurrence and measurement of transfer in cognitive rehabilitation: A critical review

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the occurrence of transfer of cognitive strategy training for persons with acquired brain injury, and to investigate the way in which transfer is measured.

Methods: Electronic searches in PubMed, PsychINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL using combinations of search terms in the following categories: type of brain injury, transfer, type of disorder, type of intervention. A total of 39 papers was included in the review. The following aspects were judged: study design and participant characteristics, intervention characteristics and type of outcome measures used.

Results: Transfer outcome measures could be classified into 3 groups: non-trained items, standardized daily tasks and daily life. Most studies reported at least one type of transfer; however, the methodological quality of the studies was low. Cognitive strategy training in the evaluated studies focused on 7 domains of functioning: information processing, problem solving/executive functioning, memory/attention, language, neglect, apraxia and daily activities.

Conclusion: Transfer of training effects of cognitive strategy training has been evaluated in a relatively small number of studies. Outcome measures used in these studies could be classified into 3 groups. Most studies reported the occurrence of transfer of training effects, although some serious remarks can be made concerning the methodological quality of the studies.