Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm
Published on: April 28, 2016
Do preschoolers born premature perform properly on lexical and verbal short-term memory abilities?
Marianne Querido Verreschi1, Ana Manhani Cáceres-Assenço2, Vera Lúcia Jornada Krebs3
1Departamento de Fisioterapia, Fonoaudiologia e Terapia Ocupacional, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo - USP - São Paulo (SP), Brasil.
Insights
Preschoolers born premature showed similar vocabulary skills but lower verbal short-term memory compared to full-term peers. This indicates premature birth may impact nonword repetition abilities.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Neurodevelopment
Background:
- Premature birth can affect neurodevelopmental trajectories.
- Early identification of cognitive differences is crucial for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare lexical performance and verbal short-term memory in preschool-aged children born prematurely versus full-term.
- To identify potential long-term cognitive impacts of preterm birth.
Main Methods:
- Forty preschool children (4-5 years 11 months) were divided into preterm and full-term groups, matched for age and socioeconomic status.
- Expressive vocabulary and verbal short-term memory tests, including nonword repetition, were administered.
- Mann-Whitney and Fisher exact tests were used for statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in expressive vocabulary between the groups.
- Children born prematurely demonstrated significantly lower performance on nonword repetition tasks.
Conclusions:
- Preschoolers born prematurely exhibit deficits in verbal short-term memory, specifically in nonword repetition, compared to full-term peers.
- Premature birth is associated with typical vocabulary development but potential verbal short-term memory impairments.
Purpose:
To investigate lexical performance and verbal short-term memory ability in premature infants at preschool age and compare the results with their full-term peers.
Methods:
Forty preschool children aged between 4 and 5 years and 11 months participated on the study and were equally divided into two groups considering their gestational age: preterm and full-term. Groups did not differ on age, family income and maternal education. Participants were paired according to their chronological age and their socioeconomic status. Their performance was assessed using expressive vocabulary and verbal short-term memory tests. Inferential statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney and the Fisher exact test.
Results:
Group performance did not differ on vocabulary, but premature children showed an inferior performance on nonword repetition tasks.
Conclusion:
These data indicates that preschoolers born premature performed statistically lower than their peers born full-term on nonword repetition task. Thus, premature birth was associated to vocabulary development on typically developing range, but also to verbal short-term memory impairments.
More Related Videos
06:15Using the Visual World Paradigm to Study Sentence Comprehension in Mandarin-Speaking Children with Autism
Published on: October 3, 2018
05:35Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
Published on: April 19, 2017
Related Concept Videos
01:22Language Development
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
01:30Information Processing Approach
01:27Language and Cognition
01:22Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory
01:24Working Memory