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Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization
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Experience 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

A Longitudinal Study of Preterm Infants at 12 and 30 Months: Links Among Object Interactions, Joint Engagement, and

Qin Liu1,2, Michelle de Haan1, Kathy Chant3

  • 1University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.

Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies
|March 30, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Early object play in preterm infants can predict later cognitive development. More frequent infant-object interactions at 12 months were linked to lower cognitive scores at 30 months.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neonatal Research
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Preterm infants often face developmental challenges, including issues with object play and joint attention.
  • These early disruptions may lead to cognitive delays later in childhood.
  • The developmental cascades model suggests early interaction patterns influence later development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the longitudinal relationship between parent-infant interactions and cognitive outcomes in preterm infants.
  • To explore how early object play and joint engagement predict cognitive development.
  • To examine real-time differences in parent-infant interactions and their long-term effects.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 20 preterm infants (born ≤29 weeks gestation).
  • Coded infant-object interactions and joint engagement during free play at 12 months corrected age.
  • Assessed cognitive development using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition at 30 months corrected age.

Main Results:

  • Infants engaged frequently with objects, with significant parental involvement.
  • Higher frequency of infant-object interaction bouts at 12 months was negatively associated with cognitive scores at 30 months.
  • Parental multimodal engagement during object play showed a marginal positive association with 30-month cognitive scores.

Conclusions:

  • Early patterns of object interaction and parental engagement are associated with cognitive development in preterm infants.
  • The frequency of object play may have complex implications for cognitive outcomes.
  • Further research is needed to understand the nuances of parent-infant interaction in preterm development.

Keywords:
cognitive developmentjoint engagementlongitudinal associationsmultimodal engagementobject interaction

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