In the United States, approximately 12% of infants are born preterm and 8% are born low birthweight. Prematurity and low birthweight have been associated with "high risk" pregnancies (poor prenatal care, maternal smoking or drug use, illness or disease) and other factors, such as maternal depression and/or elevated stress hormone levels.…

Reported was the occurrence of an intense grey-brown discoloration of the skin, serum, and urine, and anemia in a premature infant when phototherapy was used to reduce hyperbilirubinemia. (CB)

Premature infants vocalized less, played less, and were more fretful than full-term infants of the same chronological age, although they looked at objects and looked around their environment more. Mothers of premature infants demonstrated more caretaking and affectionate behavior toward their infants. Between-group differences decreased as age…

Reviews the history of the developmental study of infants and children at biological risk and appraises the current state of the art. Four research phases during the period from 1920 to the present are identified, each reflecting aspects of the social, political, health, and psychological zeitgeist. (Author/RH)

Investigated the effect of increasing familiarization time on the visual recognition memory of 6- and 12-month-old full-term and preterm infants. Results suggested that persistent differences exist between preterm and full-term infants throughout at least the first year of life in this fundamental aspect of cognition. (Author/RH)

Explores particulars that may partially account for the remedial influence on development of interactions between infants and caregivers. Videotaped interactions between 20 prematurely born toddlers and their mothers were described in terms of dyadic joint attention to features of the environment. (Author/RH)

Preferential looking at stimuli varying in temporal frequency was examined in 11 prematurely born infants. The relationship between amount of looking and stimulus frequency yielded a significant linear trend with the fastest frequency used (4 hertz) being most preferred. (Author/DB)

Describes a support group for parents of premature infants and an intensive care unit for these infants. The unit has been established to meet high-risk infants' developmental needs by, for instance, promoting attachment behavior, interpreting physiological cues, and teaching parents to understand their infants' needs. (Author/DB)

This 5-year longitudinal study focuses on the development of intelligence and emotional maturity in 317 premature and 78 full-term Romanian infants. (CM)

Low birth weight preterm multiple birth infants do lag behind initially in mental and motor development, but they are equal in development with normal peers by the age of two. It was inferred that the multiple caretaking situation did not interfere with the infants' specific attachment to their mothers. (Author/RH)

Studied the relationships between Israeli mothers and fathers and their 38 preterm infants during hospitalization. Mothers engaged in more caregiving, talking, and holding during initial contacts than did fathers. But disparity in maternal and paternal interactions decreased with time. (RJC)

Reports the effects of a hospital-to-home transitional support program for 47 mothers of infants who were treated in an intensive-care unit. Findings indicate positive effects of the program on the sense of competence, perceived control, and responsiveness of mothers who needed the most support. (RJC)

Examined the relation of infant attention and memory to later cognition in 45 full-term and 46 high-risk preterm infants. Findings indicated a substantial relation between infant visual recognition memory and later intelligence. (RJC)

Examined gender differences in cognitive outcome in children born prematurely who had incurred early cerebral lesions and in a high-risk comparison group. A significant gender difference in cognitive recovery was observed in the lesion group. Girls outperformed boys on standardized intelligence tests. No gender differences were observed in the…

The language development of 12 premature and 12 full-term Mexican American infants was compared at age 22 months. The Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development-Revised revealed that premature infants may acquire language at a slower rate than full-term infants, with expressive language more affected than receptive language skills.…