Mastery motivation and cognitive development in 4-year-old children born at various degrees of medical risk.

Although technology has enabled premature infants to survive, longitudinal assessments have primarily focused on IQ outcomes. The purpose of this study was to establish the usefulness of mastery assessment in establishing developmental outcome. Mastery motivation and cognition were examined in 167 preschool children born at various degrees of medical risk. Mastery motivation was measured by a videotaped toy sequence designed to tap sensorimotor practice, effect production, and problem solving. Patterns of correlations indicate that the relationship between mastery and IQ were complementary and not redundant. Three regression models showed that significant interactions between perinatal status and mastery motivation behaviors confirm mastery assessment worthy of consideration in biologically high-risk children.