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Infant hand-use preferences for grasping objects contributes to the development of a hand-use preference for
Trisha Hinojosa1, Ching-Fan Sheu, George F Michel
1Department of Psychology, DePaul University, 2219 N. Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614-3504, USA.
Developmental Psychobiology
|March 19, 2004
Summary
Infant hand preference for reaching and grasping solidifies by 11 months. This study shows early hand preference in infants develops into consistent manipulation, supporting progressive lateralization theory.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Motor Control
Background:
- Hand preference emerges early in human development.
- Understanding the trajectory of hand preference is crucial for developmental neuroscience.
- Previous theories suggest lateralization of function, but the developmental pathway needs further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental changes in hand-use preference for object manipulation in infants.
- To analyze the relationship between early reaching preferences and later manipulative hand use.
- To test a modified progressive lateralization theory of motor skill development.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-five infants were observed at 7 and 11 months of age.
- Infants were grouped by initial hand preference: right, left, or no preference.
- Unimanual manipulation of toys was videotaped and coded to analyze hand use patterns.
Main Results:
- Infants with a right-reaching preference showed increased right-hand use for manipulation.
- Infants with a left-reaching preference showed increased left-hand use for manipulation.
- Infants with no initial preference showed a slight increase in right-hand use.
Conclusions:
- Early hand preference for reaching and grasping predicts later manipulative hand use.
- These findings support a modified progressive lateralization theory.
- Motor skill development involves the concatenation of reaching and manipulation preferences over time.