Visual attention during toy exploration in preterm infants: Effects of medical risk and maternal interactions

Abstract

Preterm infants of different risk status were observed in the presence of their mothers in a toy-centered play situation in which we examined separate attentional processes, including length of looking, shifts in looking, and toy examination, under conditions with and without mothers' direct involvement in play. A primary objective was to determine whether certain aspects of attention would differ between infant groups of high- and low-risk status, while other attentional measures would not. Mothers' involvement was investigated in relation to changes in the infants' attentional processes across conditions. Six-month-old full-term infants (n=25) were compared with preterm infants grouped according to medical complications into low-risk (n=25) and high-risk (n=21) groups. Greater degrees of risk related to fewer shifts in looking, fewer toys noticed, and less examination of toys. Length of looking at toys was not different for risk groups. Measures of shifts in looking but not length of looking were associated with toddler outcome for a subgroup of high-risk preterms evaluated at 12 and 24 months. Mothers' involvement in play was related to increases in certain attentional processes, but not others, for all infant groups. A second objective was to examine the effect of maternal child-rearing attitudes and attention-directing behaviors on the infants' attention; these maternal factors predicted infant attention to toys for all groups.