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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

Published on: May 15, 2019

Toddler hand preference trajectories predict 3-year language outcome.

Eliza L Nelson¹, Sandy L Gonzalez¹, Stefany Coxe¹

¹Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida.

Developmental Psychobiology

|September 10, 2017

Summary

Early motor skills impact language development. Consistent hand preference in toddlers, measured by role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM), correlates with better expressive and receptive language skills at age three.

Keywords:

hand preference handedness hemispheric specialization language laterality

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Last Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm

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Published on: May 15, 2019

Portable Intermodal Preferential Looking IPL: Investigating Language Comprehension in Typically Developing Toddlers and Young Children with Autism

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Published on: December 14, 2012

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

Published on: February 8, 2019

Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Neuroscience
Child Development

Background:

Early motor experiences are increasingly recognized for influencing diverse developmental domains.
Hand preference, a key aspect of motor development, may have implications beyond motor control.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between hand preference trajectories in early childhood and later language development.
To identify distinct patterns of hand use during bimanual manipulation in toddlers.

Main Methods:

Latent class growth analysis was used to identify hand preference trajectories from monthly measurements of role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM) in 90 children aged 18-24 months.
Language ability was assessed at age 3 using the Preschool Language Scales 5th edition (PLS™-5).

Main Results:

Three distinct RDBM hand preference trajectories were identified: left preference with moderate right use, right preference with moderate left use, and right preference with mild left use.
Hand use patterns remained stable between 18 and 24 months.
Children with the most consistent right-hand preference showed significantly higher expressive language scores than those with moderate non-preferred hand use.
Higher receptive language scores were observed in children with the most consistent right-hand preference compared to those with a right preference but moderate left-hand use.

Conclusions:

Consistency in handedness, specifically greater preferred hand use, is associated with enhanced language outcomes in early childhood.
These findings highlight a potential link between fine motor skill consistency and cognitive development, specifically language acquisition.