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Hand preference as related to development and behavior in infancy
1Hannah Khoushy Child Development Center, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa. etirosh@tx.technion
Insights
Infant hand preference at 9 months showed a notable number of ambidextrous babies, differing from older children. No clear link was found between early hand preference and developmental milestones in this study.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Understanding infant development includes tracking the emergence of behavioral patterns like hand preference.
- Existing research on hand preference is primarily based on older children and adults, with limited data on early infancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental patterns of hand preference in healthy 9-month-old infants.
- To explore the relationship between early hand preference and developmental attainments.
- To compare infant hand preference distribution with that of older populations.
Main Methods:
- Assessed developmental and behavioral patterns in 55 healthy infants at 9 months of age.
- Evaluated hand preference in the same infants at 20 months of age.
- Analyzed the distribution of right-handed, left-handed, and ambidextrous preferences.
Main Results:
- The study observed 12 right-handed, 11 left-handed, and 23 ambidextrous infants at 20 months.
- This distribution showed a higher prevalence of left-handedness and ambidexterity compared to older children.
- No significant correlation was found between hand preference and developmental achievements in the assessed infants.
Conclusions:
- Infant hand preference distribution may differ from that of older children, with a potential shift towards left-handedness and ambidexterity.
- Ambidexterity in infancy might represent a phase within the broader spectrum of hand preference development.
- Further research with larger sample sizes is recommended to clarify developmental behavioral patterns and hand preference in infancy.
Abstract:
55 healthy infants were assessed for their developmental and behavioral patterns at the age of 9 mo. Hand preference was assessed at 20 mo. of age. The distribution of hand preference showed 12 were right-handed, 11 left-handed and 23 ambidextrous. This distribution appears shifted more to the left than that reported for older children. Although their data were based on different tests not appropriate for 9-mo.-old infants, ambidexterity appeared to reflect part of the hand-preference continuum. No significant relationship between hand preference and developmental attainments was noted. Perhaps a larger sample would provide a clear developmental behavioral pattern and hand preference in infancy.