The development of tactile transfer of information

A finger localization task was used to investigate interhemispheric transfer of tactile information in children aged 5, 7, 9 and 11 yr. Other-hand responses (cross-localization) were less accurate than same-hand responses for all ages tested. However, the size of the cross-localization deficit was strongly age-dependent, and provided evidence for a developmental improvement in interhemispheric transfer which is consistent with the sequence of myelination of the corpus callosum during the first decade of life. Transfer with mirror-imaged finger positions on the opposite hands was more accurate for younger children, whereas older children were more accurate when finger positions were spatially aligned.