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Attending to the non-preferred hand improves bimanual coordination in children
A M Pellegrini1, E C Andrade, L A Teixeira
1Institute of Biosciences, State University of Sao Paulo, Av. 24-A, no. 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil. anapell@rc.unesp.br
Insights
Directing children's attention to their non-preferred hand improved bimanual coordination. This attentional focus reduced errors and movement time, regardless of age or handedness, enhancing motor skill development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Motor control
- Cognitive neuroscience
Background:
- Bimanual coordination is crucial for daily activities.
- Attentional focus influences motor performance.
- Developmental changes impact motor skill acquisition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of attentional focus on bimanual coordination in children.
- To examine developmental differences in bimanual tapping performance based on attentional strategies.
- To explore the role of handedness in attentional modulation of motor tasks.
Main Methods:
- Children aged 5-12 years (right- and left-handed) performed bimanual reciprocal tapping tasks.
- Attentional focus was manipulated: attending to preferred hand, non-preferred hand, or no specific instruction.
- Performance metrics included movement time and error frequency.
Main Results:
- Orienting attention to the non-preferred hand significantly reduced movement time and error frequency.
- Performance disparities related to handedness and age were evident when attention was directed to the preferred hand or unspecified.
- These performance differences were eliminated when attention was directed to the non-preferred hand.
Conclusions:
- Attentional focus on the non-preferred hand enhances bimanual coordination in children.
- This strategy can mitigate performance differences arising from age and handedness.
- Findings suggest a potential mechanism for improving motor skill development through targeted attentional guidance.
Abstract:
The effect of attentional focus in bimanual coordination was investigated from a developmental perspective by examining performance of right- and left-handed children, 5-8-years and 9-12-years old, on bimanual reciprocal tapping tasks. Attentional focus was either specified, by asking the children to attend to the preferred or to the non-preferred hand, or unspecified for the execution of the tasks. When attention was oriented to the non-preferred hand we found a reduced movement time and a lower frequency of errors. Performance differences for handedness and age-groups were observed when the children were oriented to attend to the preferred hand or when there was no instruction regarding attention. These differences in performance were eliminated when attention was oriented to the non-preferred hand.
