1. Growth and visual information processing in infants in Southern Ethiopia
- Author
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Barbara J. Stoecker, Vladimira Sykova, David G. Thomas, K. Michael Hambidge, Tay Kennedy, Laura Hubbs-Tait, Yewelsew Abebe, and Tesfaye Woltamo
- Subjects
Head circumference ,Body height ,Visual information processing ,Evaluation methods ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,Standard score ,Psychology ,Infant cognitive development ,Body weight ,Article ,Recognition memory ,Developmental psychology - Abstract
Speed of information processing and recognition memory can be assessed in infants using a visual information processing (VIP) paradigm. In a sample of 100 infants 6-8 months of age from Southern Ethiopia, we assessed relations between growth and VIP. The 69 infants who completed the VIP protocol had a mean weight z score of -1.12 ± 1.19 SD, and length z score of -1.05 ± 1.31. The age-appropriate novelty preference was shown by only 12 infants. When age was controlled, longest look duration during familiarization was predicted by weight (sr(2) = .16, p = .001) and length (sr(2) = .05, p =.058), and mean look duration during test phases was predicted by head circumference (sr(2) = .08, p = .018) implying that growth is associated with development of VIP. These data support the validity of VIP as a measure of infant cognitive development that is sensitive to nutritional factors and flexible enough to be adapted to individual cultures.
- Published
- 2008
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