Memory and processing speed in preterm children at eleven years: a comparison with full-terms.
This study examined the effects of prematurity on 11-year-olds' performance on 2 specific aspects of cognition--memory and processing speed, using a new computer-administered battery, the Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT: Detterman). Preterms performed more poorly than their full-term controls on all memory tasks; this relative deficit was associated with the presence and severity of neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS). Preterms were also slower on selected aspects of processing speed but not on motor speed. Memory and processing speed, taken together, accounted for much of the 10-point difference in WISC-R IQ between groups.
Rose
S A
SA
Department of Pediatrics, Kennedy Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461. srose@aecom.yu.edu
Feldman
J F
JF
D001724:Birth Weight; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011930:Reaction Time; D012016:Reference Values; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000523:psychology*; D012691:Serial Learning; D014888:Wechsler Scales