Handedness: Left-right differences in object holding and motor skills in 6-month-old infants

Author(s): Gouarir, C.

Journal/Book: Cah Psychol Cognitive. 1996; 15: Ibhop, Traverse Charles Susini, 13388 Marseille Cedex 13, France. Adrsc-Assoc Diffusion Recherches Sciences Cognitives. 209-230.

Abstract: Thirty-six six-month-old infants, all without familial sinistrality (i.e., no parent or sibling was left handed), participated in two experiments. Caplan and Kinsbourne's (1976) procedure and tasks were used. In the first experiment, infants were observed holding a small object with their right and left hands on six alternating trials in a unimanual task. Motor skills were also coded for each hand. The results revealed that infants grasped the objects longer with the right hand than with the left hand. Haptic habituation was observed through the trials but only in the right hand, Asymmetries in motor skills were also found. The second experiment attempted to provide evidence of asymmetric perceptual abilities between the two hands. A familiarization phase with twenty alternating trials and a test phase were conducted with both hands, With this procedure, haptic habituation occurred in both hands but discrimination was found only with the left hand. In the discussion, different functions for the two hands are proposed for six-month-old infants.

Note: Article A Streri, Univ Paris 05, Lab Cognit & Dev, CNRS, Inst Psychol, 28 Rue Serpente, F-75006 Paris, France

Keyword(s): handedness; haptic perception; motor skills; infancy; HAND PREFERENCE; DISCRIMINATION; ASYMMETRY; DURATION; RATTLE; GRASP; TASK

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