Temporal stability and predictive validity of self-assessed hand preference with first and second graders

Area of Science:

• Child development
• Neuroscience
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Hand preference is a key indicator of brain lateralization.
• Understanding the reliability of hand preference measures is crucial for developmental research.
• Previous studies have explored hand preference but with varying methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the test-retest reliability of a five-item hand preference questionnaire.
• To examine the predictive validity of the questionnaire in young children.
• To investigate the relationship between hand preference and visual field bias.

Main Methods:

• A five-item hand preference questionnaire was administered to 80 first and second graders.
• Participants completed the questionnaire twice, with a one-month interval.
• Hand preference for writing was correlated with performance on a face perception task.

Main Results:

• 81% of hand preference choices remained consistent after one month.
• Significant differences in reliability were observed across the five items.
• Hand preference for writing and drawing showed the highest temporal stability.
• Writing hand preference was significantly associated with visual field bias.

Conclusions:

• The five-item hand preference questionnaire demonstrates good test-retest reliability, particularly for writing and drawing.
• Hand preference in children is relatively stable over short periods.
• Writing hand preference may be linked to underlying neural mechanisms influencing visual perception.