Stable Individual Differences in Developmentally Changing Preterm Infants: A Replicated Study

• Published in: Child development Vol. 60; no. 2; pp. 502 - 513
• Main Authors: Korner, Anneliese F., Byron Wm. Brown, Jr, Dimiceli, Sue, Forrest, Thomas, Stevenson, David K., Lane, Nancy M., Constantinou, Janet, Thom, Valerie A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, MA University of Chicago Press 01.04.1989; Blackwell; University of Chicago Press for the Society for Research in Child Development, etc
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Child development; Data models; Datasets; Developmental psychology; Empirical evidence; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Individuality; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature - psychology; Infants; Longitudinal Studies; Mathematical models; Modeling; Neuropsychological Tests; Newborns; Pediatrics; Personality Development; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Human; Clinical test; Prematurity; Neurobehavioral Maturity Assessment; Interindividual comparison; Central nervous system; Development; Infant; Psychometrics
• ISSN: 0009-3920; 1467-8624
• DOI: 10.2307/1130994

In a longitudinal study with the Neurobehavioral Maturity Assessment (NB-MAP), developmental changes and stability of individual differences were assessed in 2 independent samples of preterm infants ranging from 32 weeks conceptional age to term. Individual stability of response was assessed using regression analysis with repeated measures on subjects. The large majority of the functions tested showed highly significant developmental gains with age and highly significant individual stability of performance across age. These findings replicated well across the 2 cohorts. The results are discussed in the light of the neurobiological stage of development of preterm infants during the last 8 weeks prior to term.