The structure of infant cognition at 1 year

The present study explored the dimensionality of cognition at 12 months by factor analyzing data from a large cohort of preterm and full-term infants (N=182). Two analyses were done. In the first, using only measures used earlier, when the infants were 7 months of age, the same three factors emerged at 12 months as at the earlier age-namely, Attention (look duration and shift rate), Speed (reaction time), and Recognition Memory (novelty responses). Together, they accounted for 36% of the variance. Loadings for all three factors closely resembled those from the 7-month solution, and individuals showed cross-age stability on factor scores, r=0.24-0.51. The second analysis used an expanded battery of tasks, including some capturing higher order cognitive abilities. The same three factors emerged, along with two new ones-Recall (reproduction of event sequences) and Representational Competence (performance on cross-modal transfer and object permanence) with the five together accounting for 42% of the variance. The results support the idea that discrete cognitive abilities can be detected early in infancy and that these abilities show continuity over the first year.