DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION SOFTWARE FOR TEACHING/REHABILITATING DECISION MAKING SKILLS FOR TRAUMATI-CALLY BRAIN-INJURED ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS.

THE PROPOSED PRODUCT WILL BE A MICROCOMPUTER-BASED PROGRAM WHICH WILL ASSIST THE COGNITIVE REHABILITATION OF TRAUMATI CALLLY HEAD-INJURED ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS. THE CORE OF THEPROGRAM WILL BE A REAL-LIFE, REAL-TIME DECISION SUPPORT AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SYSTEM SUITABLE FOR COMMERCIAL AND POPULAR DISTRIBUTION TO BOTH CLINICAL AND EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS DEDI-CATED TO WORKING WITH THE HEAD-INJURED. INITIALLY, THE PRO-WILL CONSIST OF A TUTORIAL SECTION ILLUSTRATING USER-RELE- VANT PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES,REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES AND EMBEDDED POINTS OF SUPPORTIVE AND BRANCHED FEEDBACK DESIGNED FOR THE COGNITIVELY IMPAIRED USER. THE TUTORIAL WILL BE FOLLOWEDBY A SECTION COMPOSED OF AN EXPERT SYSTEM WHICH WILL ALLOW THE USER TO ENTER, CREATE AND STORE ALL THE SIGNIFI- CANT COMPONENTS OF HIS/HER OWN REAL LIFE PROBLEMS. THE STEP-BY STEP PROCESS REQUIRED, THE LOGIC INVOLVED, AND THE SE- QUENCING AND STORAGE CAPACITIES OF THE COMPUTER WILL ALLOW AND ENCOURAGE THE USER TO REDEVELOP THINKING, LOGICAL AND DECISION-MAKING SKILLS. PHASE I WILL INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT O OF A SAMPLE TUTORIAL DISK, PILOT TESTIN OF THE TUTORIAL AND AN EXPERT SYSTEM ACTIVITY AND A FULL DESIGN FOR THE PHASE II DEVELOPMENT BASED ON EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF PROGRAM- MING FOR EXPERT SYSTEMS AND THE PILOT TEST DATA. FOR BUSINESS AND MILITARY APPLICATION BUT PRESENTLY INAC-