Coping behavior: differences in barrier performance in full-term and premature infants.
Coping ability was assessed in 12- and 18-month-old premature and full-term children, using an experimental barrier situation consisting of a double fence of boards and boxes which the child had to remove to reach the center. No term differences were found for the 12-month-old children: the task was too difficult for them. The term differences found at 18 months indicated that the prematures rested more and tended to smile more than did full-terms. The most dramatic finding was that only 4 of the 17 children who completed the task were premature. None of the findings for the 18-month-old children were related to intelligence.
D001724:Birth Weight; D002652:Child Behavior; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D011340:Problem Solving; D012904:Smiling