Affect Recognition: Enhancing Performance of Persons With Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

August 1, 2014 updated by: Barry Willer, University at Buffalo

Controlled Study of Affect Recognition Training for Individuals With Acquired Brain Injury

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of three training programs designed to teach persons with acquired brain injury (ABI) to recognize emotions. It is hypothesized that the training programs will enhance several aspects of emotion recognition in persons with ABI. Furthermore, it is expected that these effects will be maintained over time, and will positively influence participants' social behavior and integration.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Research has demonstrated that persons with acquired brain injury (ABI) often have difficulty recognizing emotions. This includes emotions portrayed in facial expressions, as well as inferring emotions based on social context. The ability to identify emotions in others is an essential component for the engagement of successful social interactions. It has been suggested that a decreased ability to recognize emotions may result in inappropriate behaviors and have a detrimental impact on social relationships. Despite the significance of this problem, very few studies have addressed this need in the ABI population.

Comparisons: Three groups receiving computer-based training programs. Two of the groups are trained to learn how to identify emotions of happy, sad, angry and fearful. The third training experience presents participants with a variety of learning tasks from managing money to grocery shopping.

  1. Facial Affect Recognition (FAR) group: This group is shown faces on the computer and asked to identify the emotion being expressed. Subjects are also asked to describe situations that they associate with the emotions being trained, as well as mimic facial expressions in a mirror.
  2. Stories of Emotional Inference (SEI) group: This group is asked to read stories on the computer that describe the interaction of events with characters' beliefs, wants and behaviors. From this information, subjects are asked to infer the emotions of the characters throughout the stories.
  3. Cognitive Training Group (CTG): This group is given educational experiences in a variety of life skill areas including banking and applying for a job. This training is aimed at resolving some of the frustrations experienced by persons with ABI. Subjects may learn various computer skills including, Word, Excel, Internet Search or Games.

Before and after training, emotion recognition will be measured with pictures of faces; vocal recordings; stories that give the contextual cues to emotion; and hypothetical situations. In addition, participants' cognitive skills, social behavior and integration will also be assessed.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

71

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
        • Brock University
  • New Zealand
      • Wellington, New Zealand
        • Massey University
  • United States
    • New York
      • Buffalo, New York, United States, 14215
        • University at Buffalo
    • North Carolina
      • Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, 28203
        • Carolinas Healthcare System

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between eighteen and sixty-five years old.
  • At minimum, one year post-injury.
  • Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of 12 or less, or stroke with hemi-paresis signifying a moderate to severe acquired brain injury.
  • A TBI that resulted in either a closed or open head injury or a stroke that resulted in severe disability
  • Perform at least one standard deviation below the norm on the DANVA2-Adult Faces test, a standardized assessment of facial affect recognition.
  • Verbally able to express a basic understanding of emotional descriptors (e.g. Happy, sad, angry, fearful).
  • Demonstrate basic comprehension for short paragraphs presented in 2 ways: 1)auditorily and 2)silent reading. This measure is part of the Discourse Comprehension Test.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosed mental illness.
  • Uncorrected visual acuity.
  • Uncorrected hearing impairment.
  • Perceptual impairment (visual neglect and/or visual discrimination).
  • Impaired verbal expression/ aphasia
  • Alcohol or substance abuse.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: FAR
Facial affect recognition training (with computer assistance)
Behavioral: Facial Affect Recognition Training
A series of pictures of faces displaying various emotions are presented one at a time using a computerized training program.Participants are taught to recognize how emotions affect facial features such as the mouth and eyes.Participants are also taught how to recognize their own emotions.
Experimental: SEI
Stories of Emotional Inference
Other: Stories of Emotional Inference
Participants are presented with a series of short stories one at a time. Each story presents various contextual cues regarding the emotions the characters are likely to experience. Participants learn to connect the cues to specific emotions.
Other Names:
  • Cognitive intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Diagnostic Assessment of Nonverbal Affect-Adult Faces (DANVA2-AF)
Time Frame: Seven months
Seven months
Emotional Inference From Stories Test
Time Frame: Seven months
Seven months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Interpersonal Reactivity Index
Time Frame: Seven Months
Seven Months
Neuropsychiatric Inventory
Time Frame: Seven Months
Seven Months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University at Buffalo

Collaborators

Wake Forest University Health Sciences
U.S. Department of Education
Massey University
Brock University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Barry Willer, Ph.D., University at Buffalo, Department of Psychiatry

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

October 1, 2008

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 24, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 24, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

January 27, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 4, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 1, 2014

Last Verified

August 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DR-050573-BW-2300
  • NIDRR H133G080043A

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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