Attention and social communication skills of very preterm infants after training attention control: Bayesian analyses of a feasibility study

Article

Perra, O., Alderdice, F., Sweet, D., McNulty, A., Johnston, M., Bilello, D., Papageorgiou, K. and Wass, S. 2022. Attention and social communication skills of very preterm infants after training attention control: Bayesian analyses of a feasibility study. PLoS ONE. 17 (9), p. Art. e0273767.
AuthorsPerra, O., Alderdice, F., Sweet, D., McNulty, A., Johnston, M., Bilello, D., Papageorgiou, K. and Wass, S.
Abstract

Background
Very preterm (VP) infants (born 28 to <32 weeks of gestation) are at risk of cognitive delays and lower educational attainments. These risks are linked to anomalies in attention and information processing that emerge in the first years of life. Early interventions targeting attention functioning may equip VP infants with key building blocks for later attainments.

Methods
We tested the feasibility of a randomised trial where VP infants took part in a computerised cognitive procedure to train attention control. Ten healthy VP infants aged approximately 12 months (corrected age) and randomly allocated with 1:1 ratio to the training (interactive computerised presentations) or an active control procedure completed the study. Before and after the training programme, participating infants completed a battery of screen-based attention tests, naturalistic attention and communication tasks, and temperament assessments. In a previous study we analysed the data concerning feasibility (e.g. recruitment and retention). In the paper presented here we considered the infants’ performance and used Bayesian regression in order to provide credible treatment estimates considering the data collected.

Results
Estimates indicate moderate treatment effects in visual memory: compared to controls, trained infants displayed improvements equivalent to 0.59 SD units. Trained infants also improved in their abilities to attend to less salient stimuli presentations by 0.82 SD units, compared to controls. However, results did not indicate relevant gains in attention habituation or disengagement. We also reported moderate improvements in focused attention during naturalistic tasks, and in directing other people’s attention to shared objects.

Discussion
The results warrant further investigation concerning the effectiveness of training attention control in VP infants, extending this line of research beyond our small and homogeneous sample of healthy VP infants. This study also emphasises the utility of Bayesian approaches in estimating potentially relevant effects in small samples or exploratory studies. The scope for further research on early attention control training is discussed in light of studies indicating VP children’s susceptibility to positive environmental inputs.

JournalPLoS ONE
Journal citation17 (9), p. Art. e0273767
ISSN1932-6203
Year2022
PublisherPublic Library of Science (PLoS)
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Online22 Sep 2022
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Deposited21 May 2025
Copyright holder© 2022 The Authors
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Forssman, Linda and Wass, S. 2017. Training Basic Visual Attention Leads to Changes in Responsiveness to Social‐Communicative Cues in 9‐Month‐Olds. Child Development. 89 (3), pp. e199-e213. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12812
First evidence of the feasibility of gaze-contingent attention training for school children with autism
Powell, G., Wass, S. V., Erichsen, J. T. and Leekam, S. R. 2016. First evidence of the feasibility of gaze-contingent attention training for school children with autism . Autism. 20 (8), pp. 927-937. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361315617880
Applying gaze-contingent training within community settings to infants from diverse SES backgrounds
Ballieux, H., Wass, S., Tomalski, P., Kushnerenko, E., Karmiloff-Smith, A., Johnson, M. H. and Moore, D. 2016. Applying gaze-contingent training within community settings to infants from diverse SES backgrounds. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. 43, pp. 8-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2015.12.005
Developmental Psychology: How Social Context Influences Infants’ Attention
Wass, S. and Leong, Victoria 2016. Developmental Psychology: How Social Context Influences Infants’ Attention. Current Biology. 26 (9), pp. R357-R359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.051
Infant Attention Is Dynamically Modulated With Changing Arousal Levels
de Barbaro, Kaya, Clackson, Kaili and Wass, S. 2016. Infant Attention Is Dynamically Modulated With Changing Arousal Levels. Child Development. 88 (2), pp. 629-639. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12689