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Related Concept Videos

Lateralization01:28

Lateralization

Brain lateralization refers to the division of mental processes and functions between the two hemispheres of the brain, a phenomenon that optimizes neural efficiency and underpins complex abilities in humans. This specialization allows each hemisphere to perform tasks where it has a comparative advantage, facilitating more refined cognitive capabilities across different domains.

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Related Experiment Video

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Block Building Task Identifies Distinct Groups of Left/Right-hand Choice Patterns After Unilateral Peripheral Nerve Injury
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Handedness for grasping objects and declarative pointing: a longitudinal study.

Anne-Yvonne Jacquet1, Rana Esseily, Delphine Rider

  • 1Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Université Paris Descartes, CNRS UMR 8158, 45 rue des Sts Pères, 75006 Paris, France.

Developmental Psychobiology
|June 10, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Infant hand preference for grasping objects and communicative pointing emerge independently. This suggests separate developmental paths for motor control and gestural communication in early development.

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Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

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Published on: April 21, 2023

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human motor control

Background:

  • Handedness and brain lateralization (language, motor control) are key developmental processes.
  • The relationship between language lateralization and handedness in infants remains unclear.
  • Investigating the independent development of hand preferences is crucial for understanding early lateralization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the temporal relationship between hand preference for grasping and for declarative pointing in infants.
  • To explore whether hand preferences for object manipulation and communicative gestures develop independently.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 26 infants aged 8 to 20 months.
  • Evaluation of hand preference for grasping objects and for declarative pointing under controlled conditions.
  • Statistical analysis of the correlation between hand preferences for the two actions.

Main Results:

  • Infants showed a significantly greater tendency to use the right hand for pointing compared to grasping.
  • Hand preferences for grasping and pointing were only loosely correlated.
  • Evidence suggests distinct developmental trajectories for these two types of hand preference.

Conclusions:

  • Hand preferences for grasping and declarative pointing appear to develop relatively independently in infants aged 8-20 months.
  • This independence challenges theories directly linking early handedness solely to language lateralization or motor sequencing superiority.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex interplay of factors influencing infant lateralization.