An assumption is made that tests of the infant's ability to recognize a previously seen target tap early cognitive processes similar to those processes employed to solve later tests of intelligence. The recognition memory abilities of normal infants have been found to be superior to those of infants considered to be at risk for later intellectual deficit. Evidence for the predictive validity of infant recognition memory tests emerges from longitudinal studies in which the relationship between the extent of infants' visual preferences for novel targets and later performance on standard tests of intelligence has been examined. Various theoretical and practical consequences flow from these initial discoveries of continuity in intelligent functioning from infancy to childhood.
The purpose of this article is to introduce what may become a new measure of infant intelligence. Specifically, the aim is to review evidence for the assumption that tests of infant visual recognition memory are valid predictors of later intelligence. We begin by noting that conventional tests of infant intelligence which measure sensory and motor functioning during the first year of life have failed to predict later intelligence. A rationale is then developed for the prediction of intelligence from early tasks which tap cognitive development, such as tests of the infant's ability to recognize a previously seen target. It is then shown that the recognition memory abilities of normal infants are superior to those of infants considered to be at risk for later intellectual deficit. Finally, evidence for the predictive validity of infant recognition memory tests is demonstrated from longitudinal studies. The concluding discussion focuses on the practical consequences which flow from the discovery of a valid test of infant intelligence. The present article is based on a recent chapter by Fagan and Singer,' to which the reader is referred for a more detailed review.