FUNCTIONAL SKILLS TRAINING
FUNCTIONAL SKILLS TRAINING
Computerized functional skills training and the importance of early errors during training
Jester and Shin, International Psychogeriatrics, 37(2), Article 100024 (2025)
International Psychogeriatrics
Computerized functional skills training and the importance of early errors during training
SUMMARY
This commentary interprets the clinical and intervention implications of the FUNSAT™ mastery study by Harvey and colleagues. It focuses on the finding that errors made very early in training—especially on the first and least difficult task—were more informative about eventual mastery than completion time or a global cognitive screening score. The authors consider why such early errors may occur, including task familiarity, technology experience, motivation, and the fit between a participant’s abilities and the training demands.
The positive contribution of FUNSAT™ is its ability to generate precise, task-level information early enough to act on it. Rather than treating early mistakes as evidence that a participant cannot benefit, the commentary frames them as signals for additional orientation, feedback, smaller training steps, or an alternative training pathway. FUNSAT’s automated capture of errors and performance makes this type of rapid personalization feasible and creates an opportunity to improve engagement, reduce nonmastery, and help more older adults obtain tangible benefits from functional skills training.
