The Effect of Mild Illness on Habituation in the First Year of Life

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Abstract
To determine the effect of mild acute illness on habituation in the first year of life, 14 infants were repeatedly tested when well and when ill. Comparison of habituation patterns to visual and visual-plus-auditory stimulation revealed only minor performance differences between well and ill infants. However, further analyses on a subgroup of 7 infants demonstrated a number of disruptive effects associated with febrile illness. These effects were interpreted as hypersensitivity to stimulation resulting in fatigue and disruption of habituation patterns. Tentative practical implications of these findings are that infants continue to profit from environmental stimulation during acute afebrile illness, but that infants with acute febrile illness should be stimulated only for brief periods.

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