1. MEMORY DISABILITIES IN LEARNING 1
Cognitive Disabilities in the Learning Processes of Children
Born Preterm and Their effects on Memory Research

2. MEMORY DISABILITIES IN LEARNING 1
Cognitive Disabilities in the Learning Processes of Children
Born Preterm and Their effects on Memory Research
An abundance of studies have been documented for cognitive disabilities and how they
demonstrate long-term effects on memory. The study of Memory Processes in Learning
Disability Subtypes assessed 40 children with a very low birth weight, who initially received
neonatal care at the University of Iowa’s Hospital between December1992 through June 1997.
The researchers McCoy, Conrad, Richman, Nopoulos, and Bell aimed to demonstrate the
differentiation of neuropsychological patterns of immediate memory performances of children
born preterm. The researchers divided the forty participants into three subgroups. Sub group a
consisted of kid’s with language disabilities, sub group b assessed perceptual-motor learning
disabilities, and group c (control group) evaluated children with no disabilities.
Experimental Design. In McCoy et al.’s the forty children participants were assessed
based upon their cognitive functioning, reading achievement, neuropsychological functioning
and memory skills. A series of tests were performed in order to separate the child participants
into three subgroups. These tests assessed Cognitive Abilities: WISC-IV (Wechsler, 2003a,
2003b), Reading Achievements: Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT-3; Wilkinson 1993),
Neuropsychological functioning: Controlled Oral Word Association (COWA), and Memory:
Color Span Test (Richman & Lindgren, 1978). After the results of each of the tests were
gathered, the participants were split into three subgroups. The 13 Participants in group 1
performed below average on at least one measure of expressive language (McCoy et. al., 2013).
Group 2 assessed 14 children who either tested below average on their perceptual motor

3. MEMORY DISABILITIES IN LEARNING 1
functioning or performed lower on the measurement of perceptual skills (McCoy et. al., 2013).
These tests assessed the relativity to the measurement of the participant’s motor abilities (McCoy
et. al., 2013). Group 3 diagnosed a total of 13 of the 40 child participants, who did not meet the
criteria for deficits in both language (group 1) and perceptual-motor deficits (group 2), therefore
group three was the control group (McCoy et. al., 2013).
Discussion of Ethics. The study aligned with ethical principles of general psychological
studies. Initially McCoy et al.’s team received approval from the University of Iowa’s
institutional review board prior to conducting the experiment. After the forty child participants
received neonatal care at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, the guardians were
provided consent forms prior to their children’s participation. Then they completed a
demographic questionnaire that pertained to the study. The assessments were conducted by
licensed psychological professionals at the University of Iowa’s pediatric center. At the end of
the experiment the guardians received economic compensation for travel, housing, and meal
expenses, and their children were debriefed.
Implications of These Studies. The results findings established that the children born
preterm may be associated with neuropsychological disabilities pertaining to memory and
cognitive skills. McCoy et. al.’s team concluded that preterm children exhibit deficits pertaining
to goal-oriented behavior, working memory, and emotion.
Future Directions. If I were to perform an experiment with a similar goal in mind, I
would not place biases on just children born preterm. An increase in the size of the group tested
would be necessary, in order to perform fewer trials. The study had a faulty design, because it
did not assess all aspects of learning disabilities in children. Prior to the experiment, I would

4. MEMORY DISABILITIES IN LEARNING 1
assess the medical backgrounds of each participant in order to have a more thorough examination
of my test subjects.
References
Bell, E. F., Strauss, R. G., Widness, J. A., Mahoney, L. T., Mock, D. M., Seward, V. J., et al.
(2005).
Randomizedtrialofliberalversusrestrictiveguidelinesforredbloodcelltransfusioninpreterm
infants. Pediatrics, 115, 1685–1691. doi: 10.1542/peds.2004-1884.
Lindgren, S. D., & Lyon, D. (1983). PACE: Pediatric Assessment of Cognitive Efficiency. Iowa
City, IA: University of Iowa, Department of Pediatrics.
Lindgren, S. D., & Richman, L. C. (1984). Immediate memory functions of verbally deficient,
reading-disabled children. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 17, 222–225.
Lindgren, S. D., Richman, L. C., & Eliason, M. J. (1986). Memory processes in reading
disability subtypes. Developmental Neuropsychology, 2, 173–181.
McCoy, T. E., Conrad, A. L., Richman, L. C., Lindgren, S. D., Nopoulos, P. C., & Bell, E. F.
(2011). Neurocognitive profiles of preterm infants randomly assigned to lower or higher
hematocrit thresholds for transfusion. Child Neuropsychology, 17, 347–367. doi:
10.1080/09297049.2010.544647.
Richman, L. C., & Lindgren, S. D. (1978). Color Span Test Manual. Iowa City, IA: Educational
Resources.

5. MEMORY DISABILITIES IN LEARNING 1
Richman, L. C., Ryan, S., Wilgenbusch, T., & Millard, T. (2004). Overdiagnosis and medication
for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children with cleft: Diagnostic examination
and follow-up. Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Journal, 41, 351–354.