Relative Importance of Informational Units and Their Role in Long-Term Recall by Closed-Head-Injured Patients and Control Groups

The purpose of this study was to apply qualitative analysis to the information recalled by control Ss and closed-head-injured (CHI) patients. The Logical Memory subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale (Wechsler, 1945) was administered to 40 CHI and 40 control Ss. Recall was tested immediately after administration, 40 min later, and 24 hr later. The analysis took into account the importance of recalled information as determined by a prior rating according to 3 levels of importance. Results suggest that CHI patients have difficulty selectively retrieving the most important information after a long delay.