Categorization Skills of the Institutionalized vs. Family Reared Infants

• In Event: Categories and Concepts

Abstract

Cognitive skills in the early years of life have a decisive role in later developmental outcomes of children (Garon et al., 2008; Reck & Hund, 2011). Moreover, there is a significant variability between infants due to either individual or environmental differences, and this variability might be observed even in the earlier months of life (Lawson & Ruff, 2004; Loman et al., 2009). The temperamental characteristics of the infants also play an important role in this variability (Dixon et al., 2006; Vonderlin et al., 2008). Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate the categorization skills of infants who are raised in institutions to infants who are raised by their biological families. and the role of temperament.

Infants currently reared in institutions (N=77) and the infants reared by their biological family (N=63) were followed at three-time points with four monthly intervals. The age range of the infants at wave one was between 6 and 18 months. Infants having at least two wave data were included in the analysis, and a total of 115 infants were remained. The infants' categorization skills were measured with a computer task adapted from Vonderlin et al. (2008). Three outcome variables were calculated from the task: familiarization strength, total looking time to the screen, and categorization response. The infants' temperament was measured with both a mother/caregiver reported scale with the sub-scales of perceptual sensitivity and falling reactivity (IBQ: Gartstein & Rothbart, 2003) and an observation task (Goldsmith & Rothbart, 1996) with the gentle arm restraint task measuring frustration.

Hierarchical Linear Modelling was run (HLM: Version 7). Care type was coded as institution=0 and biological family=1, and the time was centered on the wave one. Results revealed no significant difference between infants and groups in terms of familiarization strength score either at wave one or in time. For the total looking time score and the category response score older infants at wave one had higher scores (b = 1.45, p < .01), (b=.02, p<.01); respectively. Although there wasn’t any moderation role of infants' temperamental characteristics, the frustration score calculated from the gentle arm restraint task marginally predicted infants' total looking time at wave one after controlling the age (b = -1.55, p = .07). There was a significant group difference at wave one where infants in the institution group had lower scores than infants in the biological family group for both total looking time (b =19.90, p < .01) and category response score (b = .12, p < .01), but the growth rate of groups was not differentiated in time (see Figure 1).

Overall, infants in the institution group had lower scores than the family group at wave one, and the difference between groups was remaining 12 months after wave one. Details related to the categorization task will be presented later, and the results will be discussed in the light of the institutionalization literature.

Authors

• Zeynep Ertekin, Ankara Medipol University
  Presenting Author

• Sibel KazakBerument, Middle East Technical University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Merve Gölcük, Antalya Bilim University
  Non-Presenting Author