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The modulating effect of gestational age on attentional disengagement in toddlers

Martina Bovo1, Sebastián Moyano2, Giulia Calignano1

  • 1Dept. of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Italy.

Infant Behavior & Development
|November 28, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Infants born earlier, with lower gestational age (GA), show slower visual attention disengagement. This early attention development may indicate future socio-cognitive skill vulnerabilities.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Gestational age (GA) at birth is critical for long-term cognitive and behavioral development.
  • Early visual attention is a potential marker for socio-cognitive skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how gestational age influences early visual attention orienting and disengagement.
  • To explore GA as a predictor of socio-cognitive development.

Main Methods:

  • The Gap-Overlap task was used to assess visual attention in 16-month-olds.
  • Participants included infants born between 34 and 41 weeks of gestation.

Main Results:

  • Lower gestational age was associated with slower visual attention orienting in the gap condition.
  • Gestational age significantly predicted attentional disengagement performance.
  • Endogenous attention control may influence disengagement accuracy in full-term infants.

Conclusions:

  • Gestational age is a key factor in evaluating early visual attention development.
  • Assessing visual attention can help identify early vulnerabilities related to GA.
  • Findings contribute to understanding the developmental trajectory of socio-cognitive skills.

Keywords:
AttentionDisengagementPreterm birthToddlerhood

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