Problem
Based upon the passage and/or referenced article below, how do specific findings of the article support an application in terms of contemporary issues?
Are there any credibility concerns with the findings?
Do you see additional applications of the article?
This study about Alzheimer's disease (AD), personal memory, and imaginative thought was fascinating and enlightening to read. Haj et al. (2019) suggest that a decline in the capacity to recall personal memories may be linked to difficulties in creating mental images. This finding lends credence to the idea that Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative neurological condition that worsens over time. This research aimed to examine how persons with Alzheimer's disease use mental imagery (namely, visual and spatial imagery) to recall personal events and experiences (AD). Twenty-six subjects were diagnosed with probable mild Alzheimer's disease, while the other twenty-eight served as healthy controls. The subjects were given neuropsychological and clinical functional tests, visual and spatial mental imagery tests, and an autobiographical assessment. Patients with this disease were shown to have poor spatial imagery but good autobiographical memory and visual imagery. Strong correlations were observed between autobiographical memory, visual and spatial imagery, and control and AD individuals. Predictions of autobiographical memory were more accurate when visual imagery was used, whereas spatial imagery was less reliable. The wording was superb, and the author carefully considered each rating. Undoubtedly, this is one of the first journal papers I've ever read that held my attention for the entire length. References added to the article's trustworthiness.
The research's findings have significant relevance in the context of current issues, and the topic of this article itself is timely and essential: understanding how Alzheimer's disease impacts a person's ability to visualize and recall life events. The results of this investigation can inform our efforts to aid people with Alzheimer's who are having trouble remembering things, such as when to take their medications.
To aid a person with this disease in remembering or doing a task, it can be helpful to help them visualize the steps involved. Haj et al. (2019) suggest that visual imagery may have aided our participants in recalling their autobiographical recollections by providing visual clues. My employer at an ALF is thinking of making photo flashcards for residents to use as memory aid.
Reference
El Haj, M., Gallouj, K., & Antoine, P. (2019). Mental imagery and autobiographical memory in Alzheimer's disease. Neuropsychology, 33(5), 609-616.