Measuring the learning potential of abstinent alcoholics.

The performance of 89 Finnish alcoholics was measured on a Vygotskian test of learning potential. There were four questions to analyse: (1) can the performance of alcoholics be improved by means of instruction in non-verbal problem solving tasks; (2) how extensive is the transfer effect; (3) how does the duration of abstinence affect test performance; and (4) how does the actual performance level affect post-test results? Results indicated that instruction had a clear positive effect on the performance of alcoholics in simple tasks, but no transfer effect was evident in the more complex tasks. The duration of abstinence had no general effect. Although analysis of the mean scores of time-level groups showed some improvement in performance with increasing duration of abstinence, intra-group deviation was so high that the trends were not statistically significant. The subjects' actual performance level, on the other hand, was a very relevant factor. This was particularly evident in complex transfer tasks.