Infant perceptual, cognitive, and motor behaviours as predictors of subsequent cognitive and language development.

In a longitudinal study, 80 preterm and 68 full-term infants were administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24 mo; the Uzgiris-Hunt Scale at 4, 8, 12, and 18 mo; the Caldwell Inventory of Home Stimulation (HOME) at 12 mo; the Reynell Language Scales at 24, 30, and 36 mo; and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale at 30 and 36 mo. There were significant correlations between the early infants tests and the Stanford-Binet and the Reynell Language Scales at 30 and 36 mo, indicating continuities in cognitive development. The perceptual items of the Bayley were significant predictors early in development; at 8 mo the conceptual items became predictive, and at 12 mo the language items became predictive. The Psychomotor Development Index of the Bayley and the Means and Object Concept subtests of Uzgiris-Hunt administered at 4 and 8 mo were significantly correlated with subsequent language development. The HOME scale was significantly correlated with cognitive and language scores, particularly language comprehension. There appear to be substantial continuities between infant behaviors and cognitive and language abilities in early childhood. (French abstract) (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of vicarious reinforcement in normal and severely disturbed children.

In the 1st study, 40 5–7 yr old children (Stanford-Binet IQ 107–236) were engaged in pairs in a laboratory task during which the experimenter delivered social reinforcement to one child; the other child in the dyad received no direct reinforcement. In the 2nd study, 14 severely disturbed 5–7 yr old hospitalized children (Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale or Bayley Scales of Infant Development MA 23–38 mo) were engaged in a naturalistic setting in which one was reinforced and the other was not. Results of both studies were similar. Although observation of another S being reinforced initially improved the performance of the nonreinforced Ss, their performance levels decreased over time and resembled those observed when extinction procedures are used. Findings are discussed in terms of modeling, discriminative cue, and extinction hypotheses as they relate to the effects of vicarious reinforcement. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-modal and intramodal transfer as predictors of mental development in full-term and preterm infants.

25 full-term (FT) and 33 preterm (PT) infants who had participated in studies of cross-modal (CM) and intramodal (IM) transfer at 12 mo of age were seen at older ages to assess the predictive validity of these early measures for later cognition. FT Ss were administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 24 mo of age; PT Ss were administered these scales at 12 and 24 mo of age, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (Form L-M) at 34 and 40 mo of age, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised and the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration at 6 yrs of age. For FT Ss, both 12-mo measures were significantly related to 24-mo Bayley Mental Development Index (MDI) scores; for PT Ss, both 12-mo measures were related not only to 24-mo Bayley MDI but to each subsequent measure of cognitive outcome through 6 yrs. 12-mo IM scores were highly correlated with the 6-yr assessment of visual–motor integration. A measure of object permanence obtained at 12 mo was also related to cognitive outcome, but not so consistently as were the other 2 12-mo measures. Although parental education was a significant predictor beginning at 24 mo, multiple regression analyses indicated that the CM and the IM measures substantially increased the percentage of variance in outcome that could be accounted for by parental education alone. (61 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations between infant behavior ratings and concurrent and subsequent mental test scores.

125 Mexican-American infants of lower socioeconomic status were administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development at 12 and 24 mo of age; 66 of these Ss were later given the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale at 36 mo of age. Results indicate that when behavioral clusters are derived in the fashion used by A. Metheny et al (1974), similar findings emerge from the correlational analyses with the exception of a somewhat higher prediction from Extraversion scores in the present report. When behavioral factors were derived by a principal-components analysis, however, it was found that 5 factors that differed substantially in structure from the composites proposed by Matheny et al emerged from the analysis. Multiple regression analyses revealed that neither the factor scores from the principal components nor the composite scores for Primary Cognition and Extraversion added significantly to the prediction of subsequent Mental Performance beyond what was afforded by 12-mo Bayley Mental Development Index scores. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The HOME Inventory and family demographics.

Examined the relation between the Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (HOME) Inventory and several child-status and family-structure variables, namely, sex, race, SES, the amount of crowding in the home, and birth order. MANCOVAs using HOME subscales as criterion measures and the status and structural variables as predictors were performed on data from 79 intact families gathered when the index child was 12 and 24 mo of age. Only crowding and birth order showed consistent relations with HOME scores when the effects of all other predictor variables were controlled. Of the 6 HOME scales, Organization of the Environment, Provision of Appropriate Play Materials, and Maternal Involvement showed the strongest relation to the status and structural measures. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic mediation of the home environment during infancy: A sibling adoption study of the HOME.

Recent research has demonstrated that measures of the environment show genetic mediation. This study examined resemblance of 105 nonadoptive and 85 adoptive sibling pairs from the Colorado Adoption Project on an objective measure of the environment (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment [HOME]). Each sibling's home environment was assessed at 12 and 24 mo of age. Nonadoptive sibling correlations were greater than those for adoptive sibling pairs at both ages, suggesting genetic contributions on the HOME. In addition, the possibility was explored that bivariate associations between environment and outcome measures may be mediated genetically by using the HOME and N. Bayley's Mental Development Index (MDI). Phenotypic and cross-sibling correlations were greater for nonadoptive siblings than for adoptive pairs at age 2, suggesting genetic mediation of the HOME–MDI association. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Infant auditory discrimination in preterm and full-term infants as a predictor of 5-year intelligence.

Examined the relation between responsiveness to auditory novelty in full-term and preterm infants at 4 mo and subsequent intellectual performance at 5 yrs of age. At 4 mo, cardiac response to repetitive and novel auditory stimulation was assessed using a variable-trials habituation procedure for 9 full-term and 19 preterm infants. Ss were followed until the age of 5 yrs, and intellectual performance was measured using the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. A statistically significant correlation of .60 was found between infant novelty response scores and 5-yr intelligence scores. Mother's education also related to 5-yr performance, although not significantly when the novelty response was partialed out. Results suggest that measures of early perceptual-memory development may reflect early cognitive processes necessary for later intellectual performance. Within the preterm group, there was a sample of male infants with below-average intelligence at 5 yrs. These Ss failed to respond to novelty, and their mothers had not completed high school. Thus, a subsample of high-risk Ss can be identified early in life. A significant positive relation was also found between scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and intelligence at 5 yrs of age. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Home environment, social status, and mental test performance.

Compared an environmental process measure (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory—HOME) and socioeconomic status (SES) measures in terms of their relations with Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale IQ at 3 yrs of age. Separate analyses were made for 68 Blacks and 37 Whites and for males and females. Results indicate that the HOME measure predicted IQ as well as a combination of HOME and SES measures, whereas there was some loss in predictive power when SES was used by itself (especially in the case of Blacks). It is concluded that HOME appears to be a more accurate index of environmental quality across groups than does SES. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A factor analytic study of the HOME scale for infants.

Factor analyzed the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) item scores of 213 low-income Black (67%) and White (33%) urban mothers (mean age 22.9 yrs) of 13–30 mo old infants to determine the extent to which the existing subscales were evident. Emotional and Verbal Responsivity, and Avoidance of Punishment were apparent as distinct, independent factors. Items from 3 other subscales (Play Materials, Maternal Involvement, and Variety), which reflected concept-development toys, maternal involvement in children's play, and story-reading activities, loaded on a 3rd factor designated in the present study as Support for Intellectual Development. The HOME's predictive ability with respect to intellectual development was the most dependent on items reflecting the materials for learning provided by the mother and her instrumental support for developmental advance. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Minnesota Infant Development Inventory in the developmental screening of high-risk infants at eight months.

Compared the results of a parent-completed questionnaire, the Minnesota Infant Development Inventory (MIDI), with Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BS) for 86 high-risk 8-mo-olds. Categorization of Ss as delayed or not delayed on 5 subscales of the MIDI showed good overall agreement with BS findings. Categorization of Ss based on their lowest MIDI subscale score yielded good sensitivity in detecting delay and fair specificity in identifying normal development. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the Gross Motor scale score was the strongest predictor of performance on BS items. Results suggest the potential utility of the MIDI as a screening tool in follow-up programs monitoring the development of high-risk infants. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental development: Concordance for same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins.

Administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence to 375 same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic (DZ) twins from 3 mo–6 yrs of age. With 1 exception (9 mo), there was no significant difference in concordance at any age for same-sex and opposite-sex twins. In both groups, the within-pair correlations increased during early childhood to a maximum value at 3 yrs, then gradually regressed at 6 yrs. Data provide no evidence of greater discordance among opposite-sex twins for mental development in the preschool years. It is concluded that sex differences may be set aside as a nonsignificant factor in the concordance estimates for DZ twins. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The release of LH and FSH during the thyroid surgery for hyperthyroidism

The relationship of diagnosis to initial and subsequent intelligence test levels in 282 young retarded children was investigated through repeated psychometric evaluation on the Bayley Infant Scales of Mental Development or the Stanford-Binet. It was found that although aetiology relates to first test scores (or rate of initial progress), it has no bearing on changes in scores (or course of development). The implications of the surprisingly stable scores for this heterogeneous population are discussed.     

Social behavior of infants and toddlers in a day-care environment.

27 infants and toddlers were observed in a day-care setting, each for a maximum of 50 min, to investigate the relation of the children's social experiences to changes in social behavior as a function of age. Standardized tests of developmental status (e.g., Bayley Scales of Infant Development and Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale) were administered at intervals. Results show that with age the frequency of teacher–child interaction decreased and peer interaction increased. The increase in peer interaction appeared to be related to the toddlers' greater capacity for reciprocating social behaviors and increased use of vocal behavior in interactions. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) on the home environments of infants born prematurely and with low birthweight.

The IHDP was designed to improve the development of infants born prematurely and at low birthweight with a combination of (1) education and support services for mothers and (2) educational day care and health services for children. A randomized clinical trial procedure was used at 8 program sites to examine the impact of the IHDP on the quality of stimulation and support available to children in the home, as measured by the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory. There were no effects on HOME scores at 1 year, but differences favoring the intervention group were noted on 5 of 8 HOME subscales at 3 yrs. Separate factor analyses of the HOME Inventory revealed that intervention and follow-up groups had similar underlying structures at both time points. The effects of the intervention on child outcomes may be mediated through the home environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early mother and infant antecedents of Bayley Scale Performance at 21 months.

Investigated the predictability of performance on the Mental scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) at 21 mo from characteristics of infants and mothers. 25 low-risk mother–infant pairs participated. Mother's level of education, a responsive maternal attitude, and 3-mo smiling and eye contact predicted infant performance on the Mental scale of the BSID. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measures of infant development and socioeconomic status as predictors of later intelligence and school achievement.

A study of 1,382 Ss normally distributed on measures of IQ and socioeconomic status (SES) found that low scores (bottom 5%) on the Bayley Infant Scale of Mental Development administered at 8 mo were associated with low performance on measures of intelligence and academic achievement at 4–9 yrs of age, whereas average or high Bayley scores were less clearly predictive of later development. SES was a better single predictor of outcome variables than was the Bayley, with the Bayley adding little to the amount of variance accounted for by SES alone. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Twins: Mental development in the preschool years.

Obtained measures of mental development (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Bayley Scales of Infant Development, and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale) for a large sample of over 350 pairs of twins from 11/2 to 6 yrs of age. Initially the twins were somewhat depressed in developmental status, but they ultimately reached parity with singletons by age 6. The age-to-age predictive correlations followed the typical simplex pattern of declining as the age span increased but still remained higher for the Bayley Scales than had previously been reported. Sex differences were also noted for the pattern of age-to-age correlations. Monozygotic twins were significantly more concordant than dizygotic twins for the measures of mental development at each age and for the changes in relative precocity between ages to age 5. By that age, the measures of intelligence had stabilized to the point where year-to-year changes were no longer a significant source of variance. Parental education and socioeconomic status gave modest positive correlations with the twins' IQ scores at age 6. Results point to the genetic blueprint as the principal determinant of childhood mental development for the broad range of home environments represented in this study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bayley's Infant Behavior Record: Relations between behaviors and mental test scores.

Analyzed ratings on Bayley's Infant Behavior Record and test scores from the Bayley Mental Scale for 60 female and 50 male infants over a 2-yr period, at ages 6, 12, 18, and 24 mo. Results show significant relationships between certain behaviors and mental test scores. Composite scores were calculated for 2 behavioral clusters-one composed of behaviors relating to Primary Cognition and the other to Extraversion-and these composite scores were correlated with both concurrent and subseqeunt mental test scores. The Extraversion composite was related to concurrent mental scores for females but not for males, and had no predictive utility for either sex. In contrast, the Primary Cognition composite was strongly associated with mental test scores both concurrently and predictively for both sexes, although the patterns were somewhat more cohesive for males. The Extraversion composite showed very little age-to-age stability, whereas the Primary Cognition score was stable from age to age, particularly for males. Results raise questions about the appropriateness of including social items in infant mental tests since these behaviors show neither stability nor prognostic utility. Cognitive, task-oriented behaviors were more stable and had prognostic value approaching that of the mental test score itself. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rapid assessment of infant predictors of adult IQ: Midtwin-midparent analyses.

Assessed infant predictors of adult IQ with same-sex infant twins (114 pairs) and their parents. The midtwin–midparent design permits the rapid assessment of infant measures to predict later behavior, because the midparent score serves as a proxy for the infant's potential score at maturity. At 5, 7, and 9 mo, Ss were observed on the Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence, hand preference, vocalizations, selected Bayley Scales of Infant Development items, and a modified Bayley Infant Behavior Record. At 8 mo, Ss received the Visual Expectation Paradigm and an auditory discrimination task. Their parents received the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R). Some infant measures, indicative of information processing, language ability, and temperament, predicted midparent IQ. This study extended and partially replicated findings from a previous midtwin–midparent cohort (L. F. DiLalla et al; see record 1991-04066-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acquisition of linguistic and cognitive skills by children with cleft palate

This study compared the early cognitive and linguistic development of young children with cleft palate (N = 28) to that of noncleft children (N = 29). Measures included the Mental scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Minnesota Child Development Inventory, Mean Length of Utterance, and words acquired by 24 months. Children with cleft palate, although well within the normal range, performed significantly below the children in the control group on the Mental Scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, some subscales of the Minnesota Child Development Inventory, and words acquired by 24 months. Differences observed in the cognitive development of children with and without cleft palate were verbal as opposed to nonverbal (i.e., linguistic in nature) and were related to hearing status at 12 months and velopharyngeal adequacy.