Prediction of IQ and Specific Cognitive Abilities at 11 Years From Infancy Measures

Relations between infant information processing and specific cognitive outcomes at 11 years were examined in a sample of preterms and full-terms followed longitudinally (N = 90). Infancy measures, obtained at 7-months and 1-year, included visual and tactual recognition memory, cross-modal transfer, object permanence, and visual attention; eleven-year measures included perceptual speed, memory, spatial ability, verbal ability, and IQ. Two of the infancy measures (7-month visual recognition memory and 1-year cross-modal transfer) predicted 11-year IQ. Most of the infancy measures were related to perceptual speed, even with IQ controlled, and were selectively related to other 11-year abilities, independent of both speed and IQ. These findings reinforce the notion of cognitive continuity from infancy. Specifically they suggest that the infancy measures share a common core-perceptual speed-but that some of the measures may also tap other conceptually distinct abilities.