The protocol is feasible and data suggest that there was an effect on attentino (matrices) and prose memory skills (MPI and MPD). The effect size reveals a general improvement in the results of the experimental group.
Background: it has been widely proved that cognitive dysfunctions are a primary characteristic of schizophrenia. Major alterations have been identified in attention, memory and executive functions in this population. The rehabilitative treatment adopted and discussed in this study stems from numerous previous investigations which indicate a link between impairment of cognitive function and both a relatively more severe functional outcome and more seriously impaired psychosocial functioning in patients who have received a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to appraise the possible effects of a specific music therapy protocol on specific components of attention and memory in schizophrenic patients. The therapy protocol discussed in this work, the Sound Training for Attention and Memory (STAM) protocol, was developed by Enrico Ceccato and Paolo Caneva. Method: The study is a pre-post experimental design with a control group matched for clinical characteristics. Sixteen patients were divided into two groups of eight people each. The experimental group was exposed to the STAM method and the control group participated in a series of improvisational music therapy sessions. Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and the Life Skills Profile (LSP) were used to appraise the effectiveness of the training. Results: the subjects who were exposed to the STAM protocol significantly improved their performance on the WMS (p=0.01) and the LSP (p=0.01). The control group scores were seen to improve only on the LSP (p=0.04). Conclusions: The result indicate the efficiency of STAM as an intervention method for improving memory and skills in clients with schizophrena, yet the small number of subjects involved does not allow us to generalize the results obtained, and more data should be collected before claiming that the STAM protocol is in fact effective for the purpose for which it was designed. The study may however be considered as a good starting point for further work on the method discussed.
Making music with other people is a social activity as well as an artistic one. Music therapists take advantage of the social aspects of music to obtain benefits for the patients, interacting with them musically, but this activity requires an high level of expertise. We propose a serious game that helps people even without musical skills interact with each other by collaboratively creating a rhythm with MIDI drum pads. The gaming system analyzes the rhythm in real time to add a musical feedback that enhances the aesthetical experience that is a crucial part of the musical interaction. The system is evaluated through a questionnaire asking subjects who tried in couples the system if they perceived it as helping their interaction. Despite the early development stage of the game, the results of the questionnaire show positive reception. CCS CONCEPTS• Human-centered computing → Collaborative interaction; Auditory feedback; Collaborative and social computing devices; • Applied computing → Sound and music computing.
Making music with others is both an artistic act and a social activity. Music therapists can leverage the social aspects of music to increase the well-being of their patients by interacting with them musically, improvising rhythms and melodies together on shared musical instruments. This activity requires highly trained professionals and is therefore expensive for the clients. We propose a serious game that can help people without musical training interact by collaboratively creating a rhythm using MIDI drum pads. The gaming system analyzes the rhythm in real-time and adds musical feedback that is synchronized to what the users play, enhancing the aesthetical experience that is crucial to the musical interaction and its therapeutic effects. We assessed our system through quantitative metrics showing its capability of following a user-established tempo. Test players also completed a questionnaire, which showed they found the experience pleasant and engaging, and that the musical augmentation was helpful to their interaction.
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