Maternal perceptions of the sleep patterns of premature infants at seven months corrected age compared to full-term infants

It has been reported that 83%–87% of full-term infants regularly sleep through the night (from midnight to 5 a.m.) by 6 months of age, but there is little information about the sleep patterns of premature infants. The purpose of the current study was to identify maternal perceptions of the sleep patterns of premature infants. Parents of 32 premature infants with birth weight below 1,750 gm and of 13 full-term infants completed a 24-hour sleep record in 30-minute epochs for 1 week at 7 months of chronological (term) or corrected age (premature). Mean birth weight of premature infants was 1,278 ± 340 gm, with a gestational age of 30.4 ± 2.7 weeks. The daily total sleep time, longest sleep segment, frequency of sleep-wake transitions, and percentage of night sleep (8 p.m.–8 a.m.), averaged from the 1-week sleep record and number of night wakenings per week, were used as indicators of sleep patterns. The longest reported sleep segments of premature infants were significantly shorter than those of full-term infants (8.2 ± 2 hours versus 9.6 ± 1 hour, p < 0.01) and the number of night wakenings per week was significantly greater (3.13 ± 3 versus 0.54 ± 7, p < 0.005). Total reported sleep time, percentage of night sleep, and sleep-wake transitions did not differ significantly between premature and full-term infants. However, analysis of feeding events revealed that premature infants received significantly more feedings between midnight and 5 a.m. (M = 0.31 + 3 versus M = 0.06 + 1, p < 0.001). We conclude that sleep pattern diaries kept by parents indicate that premature infants have developed a diurnal sleep rhythm by 7 months corrected age, but they still have shorter sleep segments and they awaken more during the night than term infants.     

A postpartum telephone program of reassurance,information, and early intervention in a family practice

This paper presents a program developed in a family practice office to provide reassurance, guidance, and early detection and intervention for mothers and their new infants in the first month of the infant's life. Telephone calls from an office nurse at 2 weeks of age followed by a written questionnaire demonstrated a dichotomy between the mothers' expressions of their physical and emotional problems. Feeding was the most prominently expressed concern, but we also found that complaints or worries about feeding were also an acceptable way to initiate intervention for more serious problems.     

How Groups Merge: The Effects of Merger Integration Patterns on Anticipated Commitment to the Merged Organization1

This study examined the influence of merger integration patterns on expectations about the merger process. The integration patterns included the absorb, in which the merged organization closely resembled the acquiring company; the blend, in which features of both companies were maintained, and the combine, in which the organization resembled neither pre-merger company. Undergraduates role-played employees of a merging organization and written scenarios manipulated the integration pattern and membership in the acquired or acquiring organization. Participants' commitment to the merged organization was most favorable in the combine pattern. Path analyses indicated that the relationship between merger integration pattern and organizational commitment is mediated by the conditions of intergroup contact, perceptions of organizational support, organizational unity, and the degree of threat experienced.     

Categorization of Ambiguous Sentences as a Function of a Changing Prosodic Parameter: A Dynamical Approach

The present study investigates the dynamics of changes in interpretation of ambiguous sentences. The sentences used had alternative interpretations with different surface structures (bracketing). Continua were created by systematic manipulation of prosodic cues (relative foot duration), resulting in stimulus sentences that spanned the range between the two interpretations. Continua were presented to subjects who were requested to indicate as quickly as possible which meaning they perceived. The pattern of responses and response times revealed the presence of hysteresis. That is, when the values of prosodic parameters are congruent with both interpretations, the individual's recent history decides which meaning will be perceived. Thus, we can treat this categorization process as a transition from an initially stable meaning that loses stability with variations in prosody (our control parameter). The same underlying dynamics have been observed in studies of perception of syllables and aspects of visual perception. Apart from demonstrating the same characteristics of pattern formation at various levels of cognition, the study points to the usefulness of the dynamical approach in the investigation of language understanding.     

Recall of semantic clusters in primary memory

An experiment is reported which investigated the use of semantic relatedness as a retrieval cue in the primary memory component in a free recall task. Six-word semantically related clusters were placed in the middle and end positions of free recall lists. Retention was measured immediately after the list presentation and after a filled retention interval of 15 sec. Pure primary memory functions were calculated. The results indicated that semantic cues are useful in retrieval from secondary memory but played no part in recall from primary memory.     

Gender-specific common nouns: Sex differences in self-use

Males and females completed questionnaires on self-esteem and on their use, applied to themselves, of (a) girl/boy, (b) gal/guy, (c) lady/gentleman, and (d) woman/man in 10 situations. Terms chosen did not vary with self-esteem or with psychiatric vs nonpsychiatric status. Older subjects preferred lady/gentleman and woman/man. Females seldom chose gal, and used it less often than males used guy. Both sexes chose girl/boy most in negative situations. Females used girl more than males used boy in self-praise situations. Females preferred both sexes to think of them as ladies. Males preferred females to think of them as gentlemen and thought that term most complimentary, but preferred males to think of them as men. These results are discussed in terms of societal sex roles.The authors wish to thank Gary Leonardson, Ph.D., and Nancy Henley, Ph.D., for their aid in completing this study.     

Rorschach assessment of borderline children

Projective testing may provide the clinician with a valuable context in which childhood borderline conditions may be investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine if Rorschach scores could be useful in diagnosing borderline disorders. Rorschach scores from a group of 13 borderline children and 10 conduct disorder children were compared using a step-down discriminate analysis. The results indicated that children in these two groups could be correctly classified beyond chance levels using Rorschach scores. Three variable, content analysis, human movement, and animal movement were the strongest contributors in separating the two groups. The Rorschach measure of form quality (i.e., adequacy of perception) was notable in that it failed to produce any independent discriminatory power in this analysis. As in the case of adult borderline testing using the Rorschach, novel scoring procedures, used in conjunction with standard scoring procedures may lead to further clarification of childhood borderline disorders.