title: Visual and auditory orienting responses in preterm infants: a comparison of three cohorts over time.
abstract: Visual and auditory orienting responses were compared in three cohorts of preterm infants (N = 351) born between 1977 and 1987. The infants were divided into one group born between 25 and 34 weeks gestational age (n = 140) and one group born between 35 and 37 weeks gestational age (n = 211). Ratings were made of the infants' best orienting responses to a bull's-eye, rattle, bell, voice, and face plus voice combined. Analyses of covariance were computed to adjust for changes in perinatal variables between 1977 and 1987. For both groups, there were significant differences between cohorts on orienting to the bull's-eye, with a trend for the 25- to 34-week group on orienting to the rattle. Behavioral outcome for preterm infants has improved with changes in neonatal intensive care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, School of Medicine, KY 40292.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Riese
mesh_terms: D001143:Arousal; D001288:Attention; D001307:Auditory Perception; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D013067:Speech Perception; D014796:Visual Perception