Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
Published on: May 15, 2019
Visual search and attention in five-year-old very preterm/very low birth weight children
Christiaan J A Geldof1, Jorrit F de Kieviet, Marjolein Dik
1Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Royal Dutch Visio, Centre of Expertise for Blind and Partially Sighted People, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Very preterm/very low birth weight children show impaired visual search and executive attention. These attention deficits contribute to lower intellectual functioning, highlighting potential for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Developmental neuroscience
- Cognitive psychology
- Pediatric neurology
Background:
- Very preterm/very low birth weight (VP/VLBW) children often exhibit neurodevelopmental challenges.
- Understanding visual search and attention functioning is crucial for assessing cognitive development in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate visual search performance and attention functioning in VP/VLBW children.
- To examine the relationship between visual attention and intellectual functioning in VP/VLBW children.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 108 VP/VLBW children and 72 controls at 5.5 years corrected age.
- Utilized a novel visual search paradigm and the Attention Network Test (ANT).
- Measured intellectual functioning using the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence.
Main Results:
- VP/VLBW children exhibited significantly less efficient visual search (increased time and errors).
- VP/VLBW children showed poorer executive attention compared to controls.
- Visual search efficiency and executive attention explained 14% of the variance in full scale IQ.
Conclusions:
- VP/VLBW children present with deficits in visual search and executive attention.
- Attention dysfunctions are linked to intellectual functioning in VP/VLBW children.
- Interventions targeting attention capacities may enhance intellectual outcomes.
Introduction:
This study aimed to establish visual search performance and attention functioning in very preterm/very low birth weight (VP/VLBW) children using novel and well established measures, and to study their contribution to intellectual functioning.
Methods:
Visual search and attention network efficiency were assessed in 108 VP/VLBW children and 72 age matched term controls at 5.5 years corrected age. Visual search performance was investigated with a newly developed paradigm manipulating stimulus density and stimulus organization. Attention functioning was studied using the Attention Network Test (ANT). Intellectual functioning was measured by a short form of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. Data were analyzed using ANOVAs and multiple regression analyses.
Results:
Visual search was less efficient in VP/VLBW children as compared to term controls, as indicated by increased search time (0.31 SD, p = .04) and increased error rate (0.36 SD, p = .02). In addition, VP/VLBW children demonstrated poorer executive attention as indicated by lower accuracy for the executive attention measure of the ANT (0.61 SD, p < .001). No differences were found for the alerting (0.06 SD, p = .68) and orienting attention measures (0.13 SD, p = .42). Visual search time and error rate, and executive attention, collectively, accounted for 14% explained variance in full scale IQ (R(2) = .14, p < .001).
Discussion:
VP/VLBW children were characterized by less efficient visual search ability and reduced executive attention. Visual attention dysfunctions contributed to intelligence, suggesting the opportunity to improve intellectual functioning by using interventions programs that may enhance attention capacities.
