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Mastery motivation and cognitive development in 4-year-old children born at various degrees of medical risk
M McGrath1, M C Sullivan, F Brem
1College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island, Kingston 02881-0814, USA.
Insights
Mastery assessment offers valuable insights into developmental outcomes for premature infants, complementing traditional IQ tests. This method is particularly useful for assessing high-risk children, providing a more holistic developmental evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
- Child Development
Background:
- Technological advancements have improved survival rates for premature infants.
- Longitudinal assessments have historically prioritized Intelligence Quotient (IQ) outcomes.
- A need exists for comprehensive developmental outcome measures beyond IQ.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of mastery assessment in determining developmental outcomes.
- To explore the relationship between mastery motivation and cognitive development in at-risk preschoolers.
- To ascertain if mastery assessment provides unique predictive information for high-risk infants.
Main Methods:
- Assessed mastery motivation in 167 preschool children with varying medical risks.
- Utilized a videotaped toy sequence to measure sensorimotor practice, effect production, and problem-solving skills.
- Employed correlational analyses and regression models to examine relationships between mastery, IQ, and perinatal status.
Main Results:
- Mastery motivation and IQ demonstrated complementary, non-redundant relationships.
- Significant interactions were found between perinatal status and mastery motivation behaviors.
- Mastery assessment proved valuable in predicting developmental outcomes for high-risk children.
Conclusions:
- Mastery assessment is a valuable tool for evaluating developmental outcomes in biologically high-risk children.
- This approach offers complementary information to traditional IQ assessments.
- Mastery motivation behaviors are important indicators of development in at-risk populations.
Abstract:
Although technology has enabled premature infants to survive, longitudinal assessments have primarily focused on IQ outcomes. The purpose of this study was to establish the usefulness of mastery assessment in establishing developmental outcome. Mastery motivation and cognition were examined in 167 preschool children born at various degrees of medical risk. Mastery motivation was measured by a videotaped toy sequence designed to tap sensorimotor practice, effect production, and problem solving. Patterns of correlations indicate that the relationship between mastery and IQ were complementary and not redundant. Three regression models showed that significant interactions between perinatal status and mastery motivation behaviors confirm mastery assessment worthy of consideration in biologically high-risk children.