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PubMed1998

Object and event representation in 6 1/2-month-old infants.

Two experiments were conducted in which infants had to use remembered knowledge of auditory-visual events to guide their reaching and grasping. The events involved a ball falling noisily through a tube and coming to rest at 1 of 2 locations, with either resting site specified by distinctive auditory information. The events were presented initially in the light and then in the dark to determine whether infants would remember and use the auditory cues when they could no longer see where the ball fell. In both experiments, infants' reaching behavior was initiated and carried out after the sound ended, which ensured that search for the ball took place without support from ongoing visual or auditory cues. Accurate searching for the ball depended on infants' experience in the light. The authors conclude that 6 1/2-month-olds can represent unseen objects and events and use this knowledge to guide their actions to achieve a goal. The success in this task was contrasted with the failures of infants this age in the Piagetian hidden object task.

Auditory Perception↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Newborn behavioral performance in colic and noncolic infants.

The specific purpose of this investigation was to examine the newborn performance of colic and noncolic infants on the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale (BNBAS). The sample was composed of 119 firstborn infants from healthy, married, white couples. Data were collected prenatally, during the perinatal period, and postnatally from birth through four months of infant age. A total of 38 infants (32%) were believed to have colic. Colicky infants differed significantly from noncolicky infants on one of the seven item clusters, labeled the BNBAS Orientation cluster (p less than .05).

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1994

Milk as the proximal mechanism for behavioral change in the newborn.

Early experience in the context of suckling at the nipple is a crucial determinant of neurobehavioral development in mammals. In particular, milk has been recognized by developmental psychobiologists as an ecologically relevant sensory stimulus and should be viewed by clinicians as more than a source of nutrition in early human development. Gaining access to and processing milk during suckling serves as a primary focus of activity in the newborn. Because the rat fetus lacks prior exposure to milk or other suckling stimuli, it provides an excellent model system for investigating the development of milk-related responses. Fetal exposure to milk results in a cascade of behavioral, physiological and neurochemical consequences. Milk-induced activation of the endogenous opioid system plays an important role in reorganizing fetal motor activity, altering sensory responsiveness and supporting associative learning in the fetus. Subtle changes in contextual stimulation alter the ability of milk to engage different neurochemical systems. These findings suggest that the infant's first experiences with milk and other suckling stimuli may have lasting consequences for neurobehavioral development.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

"Safe" hyperbilirubinemia is associated with altered neonatal behavior.

Treatment of neonatal jaundice is currently recommended for higher bilirubinemia levels than before. Using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale, we found that a series of 28 healthy, untreated, term neonates with moderate bilirubinemia scored significantly less than an equal number of appropriately matched controls with low bilirubinemia for visual and auditory items, both inanimate and animate. Also, a greater lability of state, a lower self-quieting ability and more frequent tremors were found in the jaundiced group. We conclude that hyperbilirubinemia per se, even in the concentration range where phototherapy is not currently recommended, can give rise to alterations in neonatal behavior.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1976

Sudden infant death syndrome temperament before death.

A retrospective study was made of the behavioral patterns of 46 infants whose deaths were attributed to the sudden infant death syndrome. Controls were the victims' siblings. Data concerning the infants' behavioral pattern were collected retrospectively from the parents, utilizing a modification of the Carey temperament questionnaire. The parents' recollection of the victims indicated that they: (1) had less intense reactions to environmental stimuli, (2) were less active physically, (3) were more breathless and exhausted during feeding, and (4) had more abnormal cries. The behavioral characteristics had a positive correlation with various postmortem evidences of antecedent chronic hypoventilation and hypoxemia. It would be a serious error for any parent to be told that their infant was at risk based on the behavioral pattern reported retrospectively by parents of victims of SIDS, because the pattern is also a common one in other infants.

Child Behavior↗
PubMed2000

Evaluating studies of the behavioral effects of sound on newborns.

Studies of the effects of sound on newborns can provide good information of use in clinical practice even though most were not designed for that purpose. Unfortunately, however, some poor-quality research has yielded unfounded yet clinically popular results. The clinician, therefore, must be careful in assessing the validity and reliability of research as well as the applicability of its findings to the care of individual patients. This article offers a checklist for evaluating research using auditory stimuli with newborns. Caveats concerning the newborn's gestational age and behavior (e.g., state, movement, attention, and habituation) are discussed. Particular design problems related to sound measurements and stimuli are identified. Clinicians are cautioned about applying findings from studies of term newborns to the care of preterm infants.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Neurobehavioral effects of low-level lead exposure in human neonates.

In a clinically healthy sample of 103 African American neonates maternal blood lead levels <10 micrograms/dL were related to discrete aspects of neonatal behavior but not to a priori cluster scores of the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale. In statistical tests modest detrimental effects on motor control and attention were found for neonatal subjects whose mothers had slightly higher blood lead levels in the sixth and seventh prenatal months. Correlation and dose-effect trends reveal slightly poorer attention and motor control performance among neonatal offspring of mothers with higher maternal blood lead levels. These results are in agreement with those of previous studies, which have consistently reported modest statistical relationships between low-level prenatal lead exposure and neonatal behavior.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Recurrence plot analyses suggest a novel reference system involved in newborn spontaneous movements.

The movements of newborns have been thoroughly studied in terms of reflexes, muscle synergies, leg coordination, and target-directed arm/hand movements. Since these approaches have concentrated mainly on separate accomplishments, there has remained a clear need for more integrated investigations. Here, we report an inquiry in which we explicitly concentrated on taking such a perspective and, additionally, were guided by the methodological concept of home base behavior, which Ilan Golani developed for studies of exploratory behavior in animals. Methods from nonlinear dynamics, such as symbolic dynamics and recurrence plot analyses of kinematic data received from audiovisual newborn recordings, yielded new insights into the spatial and temporal organization of limb movements. In the framework of home base behavior, our approach uncovered a novel reference system of spontaneous newborn movements.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed2004

Early detection of core deficits in autism.

The goal of this review of the research literature is to discuss approaches to the early detection of autism in infancy. Early detection would enable diagnoses to be made before 18 months of age rather than at 24-30 months, the age where diagnoses start to be made now. After summarizing the criteria for a deficit to be considered "core" to the disorder, the literature on research strategies used in early detection is examined. In order to guide the design of future studies, the review then turns to an overview of what is known about the processes of early social development in typically developing children that underlie the domains in which core deficits are manifested in young children with autism. The social domains covered in the review are those that show development in typically developing infants below 18 months of age: dyadic interaction and imitation; emotion discrimination; and attachment. The review concludes that all of these areas are worthy of investigation in young children, particularly those at higher risk of showing some of the core deficits of autism such as the infant siblings of children with autism.

Affect↗
PubMed2001

Behaviors of very preterm neonates as documented using NIDCAP observations.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the range and frequency of behaviors in neonates 24-30 weeks postconceptional age (PCA) using the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care Assessment Program (NIDCAP). DESIGN: A prospective design with convenience sampling was used. SAMPLE: Starting 24-72 hours postnatally and continuing through 30 weeks PCA, 8,144 two-minute observations of 85 NIDCAP behaviors were collected and analyzed from 42 neonates born at 24-29 weeks gestation. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLE: The main outcome variables were the frequencies of the 85 neonatal behaviors measured by the NIDCAP. Frequencies were organized first by subsystem (autonomic, motor, or state) and were categorized further based on week of PCA. Comparisons of behavioral frequencies by number of weeks PCA were completed using correlation and regression analyses. RESULTS: The most frequently observed behaviors were irregular respirations, pink color, postured flexion of the extremities, immature light sleep, and drowsiness. Least frequently observed behaviors consisted of burps, bowel movement, grunting, smooth motor movements, cooing, and speech movement. Regression analysis illustrated that the pattern of behavior was significantly similar week to week.

Autonomic Nervous System↗
PubMed1994

Neurobehavioral assessment of high-risk infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Neurobehavioral organization describes infants' abilities to organize themselves within their central nervous system maturation and environment. As part of infants' environment, caregivers can structure the environment to support infants' development. Care of the high-risk infant emphasizes support of infants' emerging neurobehavioral organization. This article describes the theoretical rationale of neurobehavioral organization, effect on the infant and family, and assessments available to the neonatal occupational therapist for use with high-risk infants. Information gained via neurobehavioral assessment can be used to engage parents in better understanding their infant's behaviors and interact at a level appropriate with their infant.

Child Behavior Disorders↗
PubMed1986

Emotion socialization and expressive development in preterm and full-term infants.

The expressive behaviors of full-term and preterm infants and their mothers were examined during face-to-face interaction when the infants were approximately 2 1/2, 5, and 7 1/2 months old. Videotapes of the sessions were coded on a second-to-second basis using Izard's discrete emotion coding system. Overall, infants showed a linear increase in positive effect, especially interest and joy, and a corresponding decrease in negative affect, especially pain and knit brow, with age; decrease in negative affect was accounted for largely by the preterm infants. In terms of maternal responses, there was an increase in contingent responding to infant interest expressions and a decrease in contingent responding to infant pain expressions over time, especially in the case of the preterm infant. The data set as a whole was examined further to establish the directionality of influence between mothers and infants in change patterns over time. There was evidence of learning effects in infants as a function of maternal modeling and contingency patterns. Anomalies in maternal responses to preterm infant affect expressions were observed. Mothers of these infants displayed significantly less matching or imitation of their infant's facial expressions, showed random rather than contingent responsiveness to sadness, and a significant ignoring response to infant anger. These differences were attributed to differences in gazing patterns and negative emotion expression in preterm infants. The results are discussed within a framework of emotion socialization that recognizes bidirectionality of influence in the emotional patterns of mothers and infants.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

The influence of neonatal nutrition on behavioral development: a critical appraisal.

Specific nutrients appear to modify the metabolism of neurotransmitters, which are endogenous regulators of neurogenesis, neural migration, and synaptogenesis during both embryonic and early postnatal life. This has led to the question of whether, by affecting neurotransmission, malnutrition during the early neonatal period affects behavioral development. The literature based on animal models suggests that nutrient deficiencies during early life influence neurotransmission and, in some instances, also affect behavioral outcomes. A clear answer to the question, however, remains elusive. This can be attributed to the complexity of the process of brain development, where changes at a cellular level may not necessarily translate into changes at a behavioral level. Future investigations in this important area of research should work toward refinement of the design of behavioral experiments so that these studies can contribute to the understanding of the putative mechanisms involved.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Comprehensive description of newborn distress behavior in response to acute pain (newborn male circumcision).

One of the most difficult challenges still facing researchers and clinicians is assessing pain in the newborn. Behaviors provide one of the most promising avenues for deepening our fundamental understanding of complex phenomenon like newborn pain, and are key to developing descriptive-level knowledge to further newborn pain assessment efforts. In this ethologically based research, we report on the duration and frequency of neonatal distress behavior to seven distinct noxious and non-noxious but distress-provoking events including baseline (diaper change, post-diaper change, application of arm and leg restraints, post-application of arm and leg restraints, circumcision, post-circumcision) associated with newborn surgical pain. Approximately 67 min of videotaped data, involving four neonates who had undergone newborn male circumcision, were coded at 1-s intervals (4010 s in total). A reliably established coding scheme was used to code behaviors as they were observed on videotape for the duration of the seven designated events. This led to the identification of (1) 40 distress behaviors as they occurred along the continuum of distress, (2) eight distress behaviors specific to surgery, (3) 11 classes of behaviors occurring within the five sub-phases of circumcision, and (4) a description of 25 distinct post-distress behaviors. Findings support the ability to distinguish distress behaviors specific to pain and the ability to detect prolonged distress as well as individual differences in distress-related pain expression. Findings also justify ongoing use of ethological approaches to further newborn pain assessment and to investigate poorly understood topics such as infant self-regulation within the context of pain (pain recovery).

Circumcision, Male↗
PubMed1985

Violence on television and imitative behavior: impact on parenting practices.

In the past 30 years, four federal government commissions have reported on the relationship between television violence and aggressive behavior. The latest report concluded categorically that there is a causal relationship between television violence and aggressive behavior. Two infants were seen at an emergency room as a direct consequence of their socially isolated single mothers seeing a particular made-for-television movie. In one case, the infant died as a possible result of a parent imitating an act of child abuse; in the other case, early medical intervention precluded possible tragedy. These cases illustrate another way in which children may be victimized by violence on television; namely, by parents imitating inappropriate parental behavior. The origins of imitative behavior are discussed with specific reference to the impact on vulnerable parents. The concept of media-influenced parenting behavior is presented and implications for physicians are discussed.

Child Abuse↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Preparing staff nurses to teach parents about newborn behavior.

The purpose of this project was to teach postpartum nurses about the many facets of newborn behavior and to help these nurses teach parents to recognize and respond to their newborn's cues, states, and behaviors. The Keys to Caregiving: Self-Instructional Video Series was used to accomplish this goal. Eighteen maternal-child nurses from a large metropolitan health sciences center completed the program. The average pre-test score was 80%; the average post-test score was 94%. Based on the pre- and post-test scores, the results demonstrate an improvement in nurses' knowledge about newborn behavior after completing the Keys to Caregiving program. The responses from staff nurses who completed the program were overwhelmingly positive.

Cues↗