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Perinatal factors in hand and eye preference: data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project
The International Journal of Neuroscience
|July 1, 1982
Summary
Birth stress and birth weight did not influence hand preference in children. However, left eye preference was linked to birth stress in boys and birth weight variations in all children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Hand and eye preference are established by early childhood.
- Factors influencing lateralization, such as birth conditions, are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between birth variables (order, stress, weight, fetal position) and hand/eye preference at age seven.
- To determine if birth stress or other birth factors predict lateral preference.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 5,899 children in the NIH Collaborative Perinatal Project.
- Statistical examination of correlations between birth variables and hand/eye preference at age seven.
Main Results:
- No significant relationship was found between birth variables and hand preference in either sex.
- Left eye preference showed a significant association with birth stress in boys.
- Combined sexes revealed associations between left eye preference and low/high birth weight, and right fetal head position.
Conclusions:
- Birth stress and birth weight may influence eye preference, but not hand preference.
- Further research is needed to understand the complex interplay between birth factors and lateralization development.