Selective attention deficits during human pregnancy.
Using a longitudinal design we provide evidence that selective attention - a key component of cognition concerned with selection and preparation - is compromised during pregnancy. Selective attention was operationalized by means of the finger precuing technique, which selectively prepares two of four finger responses. The precuing benefit was taken as a measure of selective attention. Pregnant women showed a significant smaller precuing benefit at week 36 of pregnancy than did the control women, indicating loss of selective attention. Thirty-two weeks after childbirth this performance decrement had vanished, reflecting a functional recovery.
de Groot
R H M
RH
Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. rhm.degroot@hb.unimaas.nl
Adam
Jos J
JJ
Hornstra
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*