Experimental Methodologies for Preterm Infants
Infering prenatal capacity from postnatal experiments with preterm infants
- Neural state the same as that if they were in the womb
Experimental Methodologies
Positives
- Can use comparable techniques for mapping trajectories
- Eliminated confound of testing in different environments
Experimental Methodologies
Negatives
- Preterm infants are at higher risk of developmental delays and impairments (Biological predictors)
- We know very little about how the fetus engages with their sensory environment
DeCasper & Spence (1986)
Mothers read ‘Cat in the Hat’ 2x/day for last 1.5 months of pregnancy
- Infants modified their rates of sucking in direction that produced the familiar story
DeCasper & Spence (1986)
Questions
- Did the mums need to read that often?
- At what point did fetuses start learning the story?
Fetal Heart Rate Studies: Positives and Negatives
Positive
- Online measure of response to experimental stimuli
Negative
- Limited comparability to postnatal development as it isnt a common measure in infant studies
fMEG Studies
Non-invasive measurement of magnetic field
- Best measure that can compare neurological prenatal development
- Biomagnetic measure of neurological changes in the brain
fMEG
Positives
- Online measure of response to experimental stimuli
- More akin to EEG (Latency vs Location) - One of the best measures for comparison postnatal measures
fMEG
Negatives
- Movement artefacts difficult to control for
- Can only present basic flashes of light
- Limited capacities that can be explored
Ultrasound Imaging
Positives
- All Measures in utero
- No environmental change confound - Behavioural measures often used in postnatal development
Ultrasound Imaging
Negatives
- No experimental manipulation
- Cause of difference unknown - Typically smaller sample
- Exploratory - Intensive coding using FACS
- Is there a research question to every movement or is it exploratory?
Reissland et al. (2011)
Do facial expressions develop before birth
32 weeks: Shift towards more complex facial movements
- Used to create expressions which can be used as a measure of response
Reid et al. (2017)
Whether newborn’s preference to look at faces is developed pre or postnatally
34 weeks: Preference to engage with the face-like stimuli present
- What are fetuses taking in about visual environment before birth in remaining time?
