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Executive function (EF) emerges in infancy and continues to develop throughout childhood. Executive dysfunction is believed to contribute to learning and attention problems in children at school age. Children born very preterm are more prone to these problems than their full-term peers.

To compare EF in very preterm and full-term infants at 8 months after expected date of delivery.

37 very preterm infants without identified disabilities, and 74 gender and age matched healthy full-term infants. The very preterm infants were all ≤32 weeks gestation and <1250 g birthweight.

EF tasks which measured working memory, inhibition of distraction, and planning at 8 months after expected date of delivery.

The very preterm infants performed significantly more poorly than the full-term infants on all measures of executive function. No significant differences …