CCF Speaker Series Susan A. Rose, Ph.D. 2-27-2015

Longitudinal Studies of Cognitive Development in Preterm and Full-term Children: Infancy to 11 Years Susan A. Rose, Ph.D. Our work focuses on understanding developmental and individual differences in the cognitive capacities of infants born preterm (a group at risk for cognitive lags and delays), and comparison groups of full-term infants. Longitudinal designs, while they present logistic challenges, are the only way to investigate developmental change and stability. In two prospective longitudinal studies, children were followed from infancy to 11 years. We developed infant assessments of core cognitive abilities that proved to be sensitive to risk, and to serve as the building blocks of later cognitive abilities. The results provided (a) an extensive, rich, and nuanced picture of cognitive difficulties in preterm infants, (b) evidence of stability in abilities over three age periods – infancy, toddlerhood, and preadolescence (11 years), (c) evidence that cognitive growth is best described by a cognitive cascade, in which elementary cognitive abilities (attention and speed) influence more complex infant abilities (memory and representational competence) that, in turn, influence more general cognitive outcomes (MDI/IQ). These infant and toddler abilities also predicted later language, as well as executive functioning at 11 years. In short, these studies are showing infancy to be the cradle of cognition.

Susan A. Rose Ph.D., Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

2/27/2015 5:00:00 PM