Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the prediction of 17-month-old infants' global intelligence from 6-month-old infants' visual recognition memory and specific cognitive abilities. The secondary purpose was to investigate whether specific cognitive abilities such as object permanence and imitative ability as well as demographic variables can contribute to the prediction of 17-month-old infants' global intelligence. Recognition memory was meant to be the novelty rate which was measured by a familiarization-novel stimulus preference procedure. 17-month-old infants' global intelligence was measured by means of CAS-2(Cognitive Ability Scale-2). The recognition memory of 6-month-old infants was significantly correlated with 17-month-old infants' global intelligence. 17-month-old infants' global intelligence was shown to have a significant correlation with the object permanence measured at 15 months old, and with imitative ability at 9-, 11-months old, respectively. Moreover, demographic variable was not significantly correlated with 17-month-old infants' global intelligence. It is noteworthy in this study that 17-month-old infants' global intelligence was predictable only through recognition memory which was the one and only variable among various variables measured at a relative early age around 6 months old.