An automated method for coding sleep states in human infants based on respiratory rate variability
A novel quantitative method for coding epochs of active and quiet sleep in infants using respiration is reported. The approach uses the variance of the instantaneous breathing rate within brief epochs of sleep. Variances are normalized within subject by dividing by the 75th percentile variance across epochs. Then, a normalized variance active sleep threshold of 0.29 was determined to produce the highest concordance with a method based on visual inspection of respiratory variability (100% and 90% for quiet and active sleep, respectively). The method was independently validated by comparing to standard polysomnographic state...
Source: Developmental Psychobiology - October 19, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Joseph R. Isler, Tracy Thai, Michael M. Myers, William P. Fifer Tags: Research Article Source Type: research
Infant respiratory sinus arrhythmia and maternal depressive symptoms predict toddler sleep problems
This study examined the direct and interactive effects of infants’ respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and maternal depressive symptoms (MDS) during the first 6 months of life in the prediction of children's sleep problems at age 18 months. Participants included 156 children and their mothers who were followed from 3 to 18 months of age. At ages 3 and 6 months, infants’ cardiac activity was recorded at rest and during the still‐face paradigm, a mother–child social challenge task, and estimates of infant baseline RSA (RSAB) and RSA withdrawal (RSAW) were calculated. Mothers reported about their depressive symptoms at...
Source: Developmental Psychobiology - October 18, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Noa Gueron ‐Sela, Cathi B. Propper, Nicholas J. Wagner, Marie Camerota, Kristin P. Tully, Ginger A. Moore Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research
Carolyn Rovee ‐Collier's legacy to applied psychology, intervention, and public policy
Abstract
In this article, we reflect upon Carolyn Rovee‐Collier's pioneering research on learning and memory in infants, especially that using the mobile conjugate reinforcement task, for our understanding of (a) cognitive development in infants born prematurely and those with Down's syndrome and (b) her prediction that infants’ performance in the mobile conjugate reinforcement and similar operant tasks would predict later intellectual functioning. We then examine the implications of her research on time windows (the integration of new information into a memory) and memory reactivation (the retrieval of a forgotten mem...
Source: Developmental Psychobiology - October 17, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Jeffrey Fagen, Phyllis Ohr, Kimberly Boller Tags: Review Article Source Type: research
Motor development as a context for understanding parent safety practices
Abstract
In most industrialized countries, injuries are the leading cause of death for children 1 through 18 years of age. For infants, many injuries occur in the home when they are acquiring new motor milestones. Thus, as infants’ motor competencies change with development, creating increasing opportunities for them to interact with hazards, parent safety strategies need to adapt in synchrony in order to sustain a safe ecological niche and prevent injuries. The present study examined parent safety practices when infants were pre‐mobile (i.e., capable of sitting independently) and mobile (i.e., capable of walking indep...
Source: Developmental Psychobiology - October 17, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Barbara A. Morrongiello, Amanda Cox Tags: Research Article Source Type: research
Training effects and sex difference in preschoolers ’ spatial reasoning ability
This study examined sex difference in spatial reasoning, a type of spatial cognition necessary for everyday activities. An aggregated data set was composed of data from 273 3‐ to 4‐year olds who participated in 12 different studies using variants of the same spatial reasoning task. This data set was used to investigate whether and how sex difference is related to learning opportunities through training. The results showed that boys outperform girls in general, but this sex difference was influenced by training. When children received additional training, boys showed improved spatial reasoning ability compared to girls....
Source: Developmental Psychobiology - October 17, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Amy S. Joh Tags: Research Article Source Type: research
