LEARNING IN PREMATURE-INFANTS

This study examined instrumental learning in premature infants by usin g a teddy bear that ''breathed quietly at a rate that reflected the in fants respiration rate. At 33 weeks conceptional age (CA), 45 infants were provided either a Breathing Bear (BrBr) or a Nonbreathing Bear (N -BrBr).The baby was monitored by time-lapse video for 3-day periods at the beginning and end of a 2-week intervention period. The BrBr babie s decreased their latency to contact the bear over time, whereas the N -BrBr babies showed the opposite pattern. For the BrBr babies, decreas ed contact latencies were correlated with increased total contact and increased contact frequencies. Thus, by 35 weeks CA, premature infants learned to find and make contact with a reinforcing source of stimula tion.