May 27, 2013

Preterm birth affects ability to solve complex cognitive tasks



Reseachers from Bochum and Warwick suggest consequences for planning school lessons

Being born preterm goes hand in hand with an increased risk for neuro-cognitive deficits. Psychologists from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the University of Warwick, UK have investigated the relation between the duration of pregnancy and cognitive abilities under varying work load conditions. “Cognitive performance deficits of children dramatically increase as cognitive workload of tasks increases and pregnancy duration decreases,” says Dr Julia Jäkel from the Ruhr-Universität. In the journal “PLOS ONE”, the researchers report a new cognitive workload model describing the association between task complexity and incremental performance deficits of preterm children.