At their first postnatal meal, 3-hour-old rats learned an association between an odor and a sweet or bitter taste. Retention after a long interval or after associative interference was compared to that of 1-day-old rats. Despite equivalent and negligible effect of the long retention interval, contrary to infantile amnesia, newborns differed…

This study explored whether the reported inability of newborns to perceive object unity could result from the limited abilities of newborns to recognize the correspondence between 2 stimuli that were identical except for the presence or absence of an occluder. Five experiments were carried out using a visual habituation technique. The results of…

This study examined the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and maternal behavior during mother-infant interactions during the neonatal period. Participants included 84 mother-infant dyads (43 cigarette-exposed and 41 nonexposed) who were recruited after birth and assessed at 2 to 4 weeks of infant age. Results indicated that…

This study investigated the views of parents, newborn hearing screeners and Telethon Speech and Hearing (TSH) professionals of the Western Australian Infant Screening for Hearing (WISH) Program. Three questionnaires were used to gather information from the participants. Sixteen responses to the questionnaire were obtained (five parents, five…

This paper reviews the literature on handedness in infants and reaching behavior in neonates and speculates on evolutionary reasons for the development of handedness. Modern studies have reliably detected handedness from the second half of the first year of life. One study found a preference for the right hand in unimanual tasks at 6.7 months.…

Full-term neonates from 37 pairs of same-sex twins, either small or appropriate for gestational age (SGA/AGA), were observed during the first sleep cycle after feeding to determine if behavioral indices of central nervous system (CNS) functioning were related to risk for the SGA infants. No differences were observed between groups for time spent…

This study examined changes in infants' performance in detecting tones as a funtion of time. Stimuli were presented in blocks of fixed frequency and intensity, rather than in random order. The findings of earlier studies that an observer can reliably tell from a 1-month-old's behavior when a pure tone is being presented, and that reinforcement of…

This paper provides guidelines for neonatal audiologic screening. Hearing tests that measure behavioral responses, and those that measure physiological changes of body function in response to a stimulus, are discussed. The paper is intended to rectify inadequate means of identifying and testing infants considered as high risks for hearing loss.…

The effects of posture on the visual behavior of 15 3-day-old healthy, black, newborn infants were assessed. Findings suggest that the vestibular, proprioceptive, and contact stimulation provided by the on-shoulder position affects the newborn's ability to follow and process visual stimuli. (Author/CS)

This study investigated the hypotheses that 1) infants delivered from a left occiput anterior or transverse position (LOA/LOT) would exhibit a right supine head orientation in the neonatal examination and a right hand preference at 19 weeks of age; and 2) infants delivered from a right occiput anterior or transverse position (ROA/ROT) would…

To determine the antecedents of sucking in infants, the behavior of 24 infants from 48- to 60-hours-old was observed in relation to a sucking device. The device measured pressure and rate of sucking and delivered a controlled flow of nutrient. The interfeeding interval was varied among the experimental and control groups. Little sucking behavior…

Explored potential sex differences in all activity spontaneously emitted by newborns. Subjects were 14 uncircumcised males and 15 females. The pattern or results indicated that even uncircumcised males may be slightly more irritable than females, and thus more active. (Author/JMB)

Examined newborns' visual detection of peripheral and central stimuli. (BD)

Briefly reviews research concerned with symbolic development in children born prematurely. Focus is on the complex process of sorting out the effects of biological maturation and environmental experience in the study of the emergent processes, and examining the effects of biological risk and environmental opportunity in determining developmental…