The role of context in errorless learning: Understanding when errors help and harm learning in children with brain injury

Abstract

Acquired brain injury (ABI) in childhood is associated with learning impairments, however it is unclear what learning principles are most efficacious in this population. Adult ABI literature suggests errorless (EL) learning for rehabilitating memory, however a line of recent evidence suggests EL learning depends on the learning context, or whether information to be learned is meaningfully or arbitrarily associated. This study aimed to contribute to the childhood ABI literature by comparing errorless (EL) and trial-and-error (TE notably in emotional self-efficacy. The current study is the first to demonstrate the potential benefits of learning meaningful information with trial and error for children with ABI and suggests EL learning might not always be the most appropriate learning principle in rehabilitating this population.