Another 21 women who weren't pregnant and had never had any children also completed the three-hour set of tests.
另外21位未怀孕且从未生育的女士同样完成了这些长达三小时的系列测试.
There were no differences between the two groups in memory, thinking, attention span, organisational or spatial skills.
结果显示：被测试的两组女性在记忆力、思维、注意力持续时间、组织技能或空间方位感上的表现,并无差异.
Whether the tests were taken during pregnancy or when looking after a young baby, the women did just as well as those who had never been pregnant.
在测试中,妈妈们无论是在怀孕期间,还是在照顾宝宝期间,都表现得完全与未曾怀过孕的女士们一样好.
However, when asked how they had performed, the pregnant women and new mothers thought they had done worse. They also said they had a lower quality of life and were less satisfied with their lot.
然而,当被问及先前的表现时,准妈妈或新妈妈都会觉得自己做得更糟.她们还表示,她们的生活质量变差了,生活状况也不那么如意.
Psychology professor Michael Larson, lead author of the study, said: 'I was surprised at how strong the feeling was that they weren't performing well.
作为此次研究的领头人,心理学教授迈克尔•拉尔森说道："她们对自己表现不好的感觉是如此强烈,这着实让我惊讶."
'This feeling of, "I really am doing badly right now" exists despite the objective evidence that they aren't.'
"尽管有客观依据表明'孕傻'并不存在,但这种'我现在确实表现得很糟糕'的情绪还存在."
Writing in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, Professor Larson said that the expectation of baby brain may be so strong that a pregnant woman is extra-alert to memory lapses.
拉尔森教授在《临床和实验神经心理学杂志》上写道,孕妇对"孕傻"的预期那么强烈,以至于老觉得自己的记忆力在衰退.
So, although they happen no more than usual, she may notice them more and therefore think they do.
