Intermanual Transfer of Shapes in Preterm Human Infants From 33 to 34 + 6 Weeks Postconceptional Age

This study investigated the ability of preterm infants to learn an object shape with one hand and discriminate a new shape in the opposite hand (without visual control). Twenty-four preterm infants between 33 and 34 + 6 gestational weeks received a tactile habituation task with either their right or...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development 2012-05, Vol.83 (3), p.794-800
Main Authors: Lejeune, Fleur, Marcus, Leïla, Berne-Audeoud, Frédérique, Streri, Arlette, Debillon, Thierry, Gentaz, Edouard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Babies
Biological and medical sciences
Brain
Child development
Cognitive Ability
Cognitive Development
Corpus callosum
Cylinders
Developmental psychology
Discrimination Learning
Discrimination Learning - physiology
EMPIRICAL REPORTS
Experimentation
Female
Form Perception
Form Perception - physiology
Functional Laterality
Functional Laterality - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Habituation
Habituation, Psychophysiologic
Habituation, Psychophysiologic - physiology
Hand
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Infant, Premature - physiology
Infant, Premature - psychology
Infants
Learning Processes
Legal objections
Life Sciences
Male
Neurons and Cognition
Newborn. Infant
Newborns
Object Permanence
Premature birth
Premature Infants
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychomotor Performance
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Psychomotor Skills
Receptors
Recognition (Psychology)
Recognition (Psychology) - physiology
Tactile discrimination
Tactile information
Tactual Perception
Time Factors
Visual Discrimination
Visualization
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Description
Summary:This study investigated the ability of preterm infants to learn an object shape with one hand and discriminate a new shape in the opposite hand (without visual control). Twenty-four preterm infants between 33 and 34 + 6 gestational weeks received a tactile habituation task with either their right or left hand followed by a tactile discrimination task in the opposite hand. The results confirmed that habituation occurred for both shapes and both hands. Infants subsequently held the novel shape longer in the opposite hand. The results reveal that preterm infants are capable of intermanual transfer of shape information. In spite of the immaturity of the corpus callosum in preterm infants, its development seems to be sufficient to allow some transfer of information between both hands.
ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01753.x