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Stephen J Suomi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Stress correlates of Hand Preference in rhesus macaques.
Developmental psychobiology, 2001Co-Authors: Gregory Charles Westergaard, Stephen J Suomi, I. D. Lussier, James D. HigleyAbstract:In this research we examined stress-related correlates of Hand Preference in monkeys. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that stress reactivity and plasma levels of the stress hormone cortisol are developmentally related to Handedness in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). We found a significant positive correlation between cortisol levels sampled in juveniles and the frequency of right- versus left-Hand use sampled in these same animals during adulthood. Right-Hand Preference was negatively correlated with stress reactivity. These data are consistent with the view that stress functioning and reactivity are associated with the development of hemispheric specialization in primates.
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Bipedal posture and Hand Preference in humans and other primates.
Journal of comparative psychology (Washington D.C. : 1983), 1998Co-Authors: Gregory Charles Westergaard, Heather E. Kuhn, Stephen J SuomiAbstract:Hand Preference for quadrupedal and bipedal reaching in humans and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) was examined, and the data were compared with postural reaching data that have been reported for 8 other primate species. Population-level biases were found toward use of the right Hand for quadrupedal and bipedal reaching in humans and use of the left Hand for quadrupedal reaching in rhesus macaques. Rhesus macaques showed a significant shift toward greater use of the right Hand for bipedal vs. quadrupedal reaching. Comparisons with other species showed significant variance in the direction and strength of Hand Preference across reaching postures. The study noted right-Hand biases for bipedal reaching in humans, great apes, and tufted capuchins and shifts toward greater use of the right Hand for bipedal vs. quadrupedal reaching in great apes, tufted capuchins, and rhesus macaques. These results suggest that posture alters both the direction and strength of primate Hand Preference and that bipedalism may have facilitated species-typical right-Handedness in humans.
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Hand Preference in Infant Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)
Child development, 1997Co-Authors: Gregory Charles Westergaard, Maribeth Champoux, Stephen J SuomiAbstract:In this research we examined Hand Preference in infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). The subjects were 20 Macaca mulatta, each aged between 4 and 11 months. We assessed Hand Preference using both a unimanual reaching task and a bimanual coordination task. In the unimanual reaching task, we presented subjects with raisins and noted which Hand the animals used to retrieve the food. In the bimanual coordination task, we presented the same subjects with plastic tubes filled with raisin paste and noted which Hand the animals used to hold the tubes and which Hand the animals used to remove the food. We noted a population-level bias toward use of the left Hand for both tasks. These results suggest early right hemisphere advantage for reaching and bimanual coordination in Macaca mulatta, although we acknowledge that this issue needs to be examined more directly through neuroimaging procedures such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). We speculate that early right hemisphere advantage contributes to differential patterns of Hand Preference development for unimanual and bimanual action, and that the development of Hand Preference for bimanual coordination is related to the emergence of hemispheric specialization for processing species-specific vocalizations.
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Hand Preference for a bimanual task in tufted capuchins cebus apella and rhesus macaques macaca mulatta
Journal of Comparative Psychology, 1996Co-Authors: Gregory Charles Westergaard, Stephen J SuomiAbstract:This research examined Hand Preference for a bimanual task in 45 tufted capuchin (Cebus apella) and 55 rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) monkeys. Investigators presented subjects with plastic tubes lined with food and noted which Hand the animals used to hold the tubes and which Hand the animals used to remove the food. Several significant findings emerged from this investigation. First, rhesus macaques, but not tufted capuchins, exhibited a population-level bias toward use of the right Hand (although the difference in direction of Hand Preference between species was not significant). Second, capuchins exhibited greater Hand Preference strength than did macaques. Third, among capuchins, but not among macaques, Hand Preference strength was greater for adults than for immatures. Finally, both species used their index digit to remove food most frequently when compared with other digits. Findings of Hand Preference direction and strength in this study were compared with other findings noted for chimpanzees which performed a bimanual tube task in a previous study. The authors conclude that using the same procedure to compare Hand Preference across species represents a powerful research tool that can lead to a more complete understanding of the evolution and ontogenesis of primate Handedness.
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Hand Preference in capuchin monkeys varies with age
Primates, 1993Co-Authors: Gregory Charles Westergaard, Stephen J SuomiAbstract:The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of age on Hand Preference in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). Twenty-two capuchins, aged 6 months to 30 years, were presented with a task that involved reaching for food and a task that involved using sponging tools to absorb juice. Adults exhibited a greater percentage of right-Handed actions in each task than did immature subjects. Adults also exhibited a stronger lateral bias than did immature subjects in the sponging task. These results are consistent with hypotheses: a) adult capuchin monkeys are biased toward use of their right Hand for reaching; b) adult capuchins exhibit a greater incidence of right-Hand Preference than do immature capuchins; and c) primates exhibit age-related differences in the strength and direction of Hand Preference in tasks that involve the use of tools.
Gregory Charles Westergaard - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Stress correlates of Hand Preference in rhesus macaques.
Developmental psychobiology, 2001Co-Authors: Gregory Charles Westergaard, Stephen J Suomi, I. D. Lussier, James D. HigleyAbstract:In this research we examined stress-related correlates of Hand Preference in monkeys. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that stress reactivity and plasma levels of the stress hormone cortisol are developmentally related to Handedness in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). We found a significant positive correlation between cortisol levels sampled in juveniles and the frequency of right- versus left-Hand use sampled in these same animals during adulthood. Right-Hand Preference was negatively correlated with stress reactivity. These data are consistent with the view that stress functioning and reactivity are associated with the development of hemispheric specialization in primates.
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Bipedal posture and Hand Preference in humans and other primates.
Journal of comparative psychology (Washington D.C. : 1983), 1998Co-Authors: Gregory Charles Westergaard, Heather E. Kuhn, Stephen J SuomiAbstract:Hand Preference for quadrupedal and bipedal reaching in humans and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) was examined, and the data were compared with postural reaching data that have been reported for 8 other primate species. Population-level biases were found toward use of the right Hand for quadrupedal and bipedal reaching in humans and use of the left Hand for quadrupedal reaching in rhesus macaques. Rhesus macaques showed a significant shift toward greater use of the right Hand for bipedal vs. quadrupedal reaching. Comparisons with other species showed significant variance in the direction and strength of Hand Preference across reaching postures. The study noted right-Hand biases for bipedal reaching in humans, great apes, and tufted capuchins and shifts toward greater use of the right Hand for bipedal vs. quadrupedal reaching in great apes, tufted capuchins, and rhesus macaques. These results suggest that posture alters both the direction and strength of primate Hand Preference and that bipedalism may have facilitated species-typical right-Handedness in humans.
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Hand Preference in Infant Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)
Child development, 1997Co-Authors: Gregory Charles Westergaard, Maribeth Champoux, Stephen J SuomiAbstract:In this research we examined Hand Preference in infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). The subjects were 20 Macaca mulatta, each aged between 4 and 11 months. We assessed Hand Preference using both a unimanual reaching task and a bimanual coordination task. In the unimanual reaching task, we presented subjects with raisins and noted which Hand the animals used to retrieve the food. In the bimanual coordination task, we presented the same subjects with plastic tubes filled with raisin paste and noted which Hand the animals used to hold the tubes and which Hand the animals used to remove the food. We noted a population-level bias toward use of the left Hand for both tasks. These results suggest early right hemisphere advantage for reaching and bimanual coordination in Macaca mulatta, although we acknowledge that this issue needs to be examined more directly through neuroimaging procedures such as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) or functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). We speculate that early right hemisphere advantage contributes to differential patterns of Hand Preference development for unimanual and bimanual action, and that the development of Hand Preference for bimanual coordination is related to the emergence of hemispheric specialization for processing species-specific vocalizations.
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Hand Preference for a bimanual task in tufted capuchins cebus apella and rhesus macaques macaca mulatta
Journal of Comparative Psychology, 1996Co-Authors: Gregory Charles Westergaard, Stephen J SuomiAbstract:This research examined Hand Preference for a bimanual task in 45 tufted capuchin (Cebus apella) and 55 rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) monkeys. Investigators presented subjects with plastic tubes lined with food and noted which Hand the animals used to hold the tubes and which Hand the animals used to remove the food. Several significant findings emerged from this investigation. First, rhesus macaques, but not tufted capuchins, exhibited a population-level bias toward use of the right Hand (although the difference in direction of Hand Preference between species was not significant). Second, capuchins exhibited greater Hand Preference strength than did macaques. Third, among capuchins, but not among macaques, Hand Preference strength was greater for adults than for immatures. Finally, both species used their index digit to remove food most frequently when compared with other digits. Findings of Hand Preference direction and strength in this study were compared with other findings noted for chimpanzees which performed a bimanual tube task in a previous study. The authors conclude that using the same procedure to compare Hand Preference across species represents a powerful research tool that can lead to a more complete understanding of the evolution and ontogenesis of primate Handedness.
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Hand Preference IN THE USE OF TOOLS BY INFANT BABOONS (PAPIO CYNOCEPHALUS ANUBIS)
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1993Co-Authors: Gregory Charles WestergaardAbstract:Hand Preference in the use of tools was examined in a peer group of five infant baboons, Papio cynocephalus anubis. Hand Preference was noted for all subjects on a sponging task and for one subject on a probing task. The baboons exhibited the highest percentage of bimanual actions on the initial segment of each three-component task. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that immature nonhuman primates exhibit lateral asymmetries when they use tools and bimanual coordination when they perform complex manipulative tasks.
George F. Michel - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Preschool language ability is predicted by toddler Hand Preference trajectories.
Developmental psychology, 2020Co-Authors: Sandy L. Gonzalez, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, George F. Michel, Stefany Coxe, Eliza L. NelsonAbstract:Prior work has found links between consistency in toddler Handedness for the fine motor skill role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM), and language development at 2 and 3 years of age. The current study investigated whether consistency in Handedness from 18 to 24 months (N = 90) for RDBM predicts receptive and expressive language abilities assessed using the Preschool Language Scales 5th edition (PLS-5) at 5 years old. Latent class growth analyses identified 3 stable RDBM Hand Preference trajectories: a left Hand Preference with moderate right Hand use (left-moderate right), a right Hand Preference with moderate left Hand use (right-moderate left), and a right Hand Preference with only mild left Hand use (right-mild left). At 5 years of age, children with a right-mild left Handedness trajectory as toddlers scored significantly higher on receptive and expressive language abilities compared to children with a left-moderate right Hand Preference. Children with a right-mild left Hand Preference for RDBM also scored significantly higher on receptive language abilities compared to children with a right-moderate left RDBM Hand Preference. Children with left-moderate right and children with a right-moderate left Hand Preference for RDBM as toddlers did not differ in receptive or expressive language abilities at 5 years. Results indicate that individual differences in Hand Preference consistency for fine motor skill in toddlerhood have cascading effects on language outcomes into the preschool years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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The development of neuromotor skills and Hand Preference during infancy.
Developmental psychobiology, 2017Co-Authors: Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, George F. MichelAbstract:Assessing infant Handedness has been controversial. Different assessment techniques and theoretical approaches produce different results. Evidence from a dynamic systems perspective showed that the development of postural control during infancy affects the expression of an infant's Handedness. However, others found that developmental changes in postural control influenced the amount of symmetrical (bimanual) reaching during infancy, but not Hand Preference. Since most studies of infant Handedness use age to assess development, perhaps measures of an infant's developing neuromotor control, irrespective of age, would better predict changes in an infant's Hand Preference. To assess neuromotor development, items from [Touwen's (1976) Neurological development in infancy. Lavenham, Suffolk: The Lavenham Press, LTD]. "Group III" indices were used. These items assess developmental changes in neuromotor abilities throughout the 6-14-month age period. Hand Preference for acquiring objects was measured during these same months. Group Based Trajectory Models (GBTM) of 380 infants identified four different groups of infants according to the trajectory of the development of their Hand Preferences (32% Early Right, 12% Early Left, 25% Late Right, 30% No Preference). A multilevel model was used to compare these four developmental trajectories according to age and neuromotor development. Age, not neuromotor development, is a better predictor of differences in developmental trajectories of the four Hand Preference groups. However, Late Right infants are significantly less developed at 6 months than No Preference, Early Right and Left infants and both Early Right and Left infants are most advanced at 6 months. All groups exhibit similar rates of neuromotor development indicating no "catch-up" by the Late Right infants. Thus, any assessment of infant Handedness will incorporate necessarily four groups of infants with differently developing Hand Preferences and neuromotor abilities.
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Toddler Hand Preference trajectories predict 3-year language outcome.
Developmental Psychobiology, 2017Co-Authors: Eliza L. Nelson, Sandy L. Gonzalez, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, Stefany Coxe, George F. MichelAbstract:A growing body of work suggests that early motor experience affects development in unexpected domains. In the current study, children's Hand Preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM) was measured at monthly intervals from 18 to 24 months of age (N = 90). At 3 years of age, children's language ability was assessed using the Preschool Language Scales 5th edition (PLS™-5). Three distinct RDBM Hand Preference trajectories were identified using latent class growth analysis: (1) children with a left Hand Preference but a moderate amount of right Hand use; (2) children with a right Hand Preference but a moderate amount of left Hand use; and (3) children with a right Hand Preference and only a mild amount of left Hand use. Stability over time within all three trajectories indicated that children did not change Hand use patterns from 18 to 24 months. Children with the greatest amount of preferred (i.e., right) Hand use demonstrated higher expressive language scores compared to children in both trajectories with moderate levels of non-preferred Hand use. Children with the greatest amount of right Hand use also had higher scores for receptive language compared to children with a right Hand Preference but moderate left Hand use. Results support that consistency in Handedness as measured by the amount of preferred Hand use is related to distal language outcomes in development.
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Infant Hand Preference and the Development of Cognitive Abilities
Frontiers in psychology, 2016Co-Authors: George F. Michel, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, Eliza L. Nelson, Iryna BabikAbstract:Hand Preference develops in the first two postnatal years with nearly half of infants exhibiting a consistent early Preference for acquiring objects. Others exhibit a more variable developmental trajectory but by the end of their second postnatal year, most exhibit a consistent Hand Preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation. According to some forms of embodiment theory, these differences in Hand use patterns should influence the way children interact with their environments, which, in turn, should affect the structure and function of brain development. Such early differences in brain development should result in different trajectories of psychological development. We present evidence that children with consistent early Hand Preferences exhibit advanced patterns of cognitive development as compared to children who develop a Hand Preference later. Differences in the developmental trajectory of Hand Preference are predictive of developmental differences in language, object management skills, and tool-use skills. As predicted by Cassasanto’s body-specificity hypothesis, infants with different Hand Preferences proceed along different developmental pathways of cognitive functioning.
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The influence of a Hand Preference for acquiring objects on the development of a Hand Preference for unimanual manipulation from 6 to 14 months.
Infant behavior & development, 2015Co-Authors: Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, Iryna Babik, George F. MichelAbstract:Development of Hand Preferences for unimanual manipulation of objects was explored in 90 infants (57 males) tested monthly from 6 to 14 months. From a larger sample of 380 infants, 30 infants with a consistent left Hand Preference for acquiring objects were matched for sex and development of locomotion skills with 30 infants with a consistent right Hand Preference for acquisition and 30 with no Preference. Although frequency of unimanual manipulations increased during 6-14 month period, infants with a Hand Preference for acquisition did more object manipulations than those without a Preference for acquisition. Multilevel modeling of unimanual manipulation trajectories for the three Hand-Preference groups revealed that Hand Preferences for unimanual manipulation become more distinctive with age, and the Preference is predicted by the Hand Preference for object acquisition. Infants with a right and left Hand Preference for object acquisition develop a right and left (respectively) Hand Preference for unimanual manipulation. However, the majority of infants at each month do not exhibit Hand Preferences for unimanual manipulation that are unlikely to occur by chance, even by 14 months. The results are consistent with a cascading theory of Handedness development in which early Preferences (i.e., for acquisition) are transferred to later developing Preferences (i.e., for unimanual manipulation).
Eliza L. Nelson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Preschool language ability is predicted by toddler Hand Preference trajectories.
Developmental psychology, 2020Co-Authors: Sandy L. Gonzalez, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, George F. Michel, Stefany Coxe, Eliza L. NelsonAbstract:Prior work has found links between consistency in toddler Handedness for the fine motor skill role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM), and language development at 2 and 3 years of age. The current study investigated whether consistency in Handedness from 18 to 24 months (N = 90) for RDBM predicts receptive and expressive language abilities assessed using the Preschool Language Scales 5th edition (PLS-5) at 5 years old. Latent class growth analyses identified 3 stable RDBM Hand Preference trajectories: a left Hand Preference with moderate right Hand use (left-moderate right), a right Hand Preference with moderate left Hand use (right-moderate left), and a right Hand Preference with only mild left Hand use (right-mild left). At 5 years of age, children with a right-mild left Handedness trajectory as toddlers scored significantly higher on receptive and expressive language abilities compared to children with a left-moderate right Hand Preference. Children with a right-mild left Hand Preference for RDBM also scored significantly higher on receptive language abilities compared to children with a right-moderate left RDBM Hand Preference. Children with left-moderate right and children with a right-moderate left Hand Preference for RDBM as toddlers did not differ in receptive or expressive language abilities at 5 years. Results indicate that individual differences in Hand Preference consistency for fine motor skill in toddlerhood have cascading effects on language outcomes into the preschool years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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Toddler Hand Preference trajectories predict 3-year language outcome.
Developmental Psychobiology, 2017Co-Authors: Eliza L. Nelson, Sandy L. Gonzalez, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, Stefany Coxe, George F. MichelAbstract:A growing body of work suggests that early motor experience affects development in unexpected domains. In the current study, children's Hand Preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM) was measured at monthly intervals from 18 to 24 months of age (N = 90). At 3 years of age, children's language ability was assessed using the Preschool Language Scales 5th edition (PLS™-5). Three distinct RDBM Hand Preference trajectories were identified using latent class growth analysis: (1) children with a left Hand Preference but a moderate amount of right Hand use; (2) children with a right Hand Preference but a moderate amount of left Hand use; and (3) children with a right Hand Preference and only a mild amount of left Hand use. Stability over time within all three trajectories indicated that children did not change Hand use patterns from 18 to 24 months. Children with the greatest amount of preferred (i.e., right) Hand use demonstrated higher expressive language scores compared to children in both trajectories with moderate levels of non-preferred Hand use. Children with the greatest amount of right Hand use also had higher scores for receptive language compared to children with a right Hand Preference but moderate left Hand use. Results support that consistency in Handedness as measured by the amount of preferred Hand use is related to distal language outcomes in development.
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Infant Hand Preference and the Development of Cognitive Abilities
Frontiers in psychology, 2016Co-Authors: George F. Michel, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, Eliza L. Nelson, Iryna BabikAbstract:Hand Preference develops in the first two postnatal years with nearly half of infants exhibiting a consistent early Preference for acquiring objects. Others exhibit a more variable developmental trajectory but by the end of their second postnatal year, most exhibit a consistent Hand Preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation. According to some forms of embodiment theory, these differences in Hand use patterns should influence the way children interact with their environments, which, in turn, should affect the structure and function of brain development. Such early differences in brain development should result in different trajectories of psychological development. We present evidence that children with consistent early Hand Preferences exhibit advanced patterns of cognitive development as compared to children who develop a Hand Preference later. Differences in the developmental trajectory of Hand Preference are predictive of developmental differences in language, object management skills, and tool-use skills. As predicted by Cassasanto’s body-specificity hypothesis, infants with different Hand Preferences proceed along different developmental pathways of cognitive functioning.
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Hand Preference status and reach kinematics in infants.
Infant behavior & development, 2014Co-Authors: Eliza L. Nelson, George Konidaris, Neil E. BerthierAbstract:Abstract Infants show age-related improvements in reach straightness and smoothness over the first years of life as well as a decrease in average movement speed. This period of changing kinematics overlaps the emergence of Handedness. We examined whether infant Hand Preference status is related to the development of motor control in 53 infants ranging from 11 to 14 months old. Hand Preference status was assessed from reaching to a set of 5 objects presented individually at the infant's midline; infants were classified into ‘right Preference’ or ‘no Preference’ groups. Three-dimensional (3-D) recordings were made of each arm for reaches under two distinct conditions: pick up a ball and fit it into the opening of a toy ( grasp-to-place task ) or pick up a Cheerio ® and consume it ( grasp-to-eat task ). Contrary to expectations, there was no effect of Hand Preference status on reach smoothness or straightness for either task. On the grasp-to-eat task only, average speed of the left Hand differed as a function of Hand Preference status. Infants in the no Preference group exhibited higher left Hand average speeds than infants in the right Preference group. Our results suggest that while behavioral differences in the use of the two Hands may be present in some infants, these differences do not appear to be systematically linked to biases in motor control of the arms early in development.
Julie M. Campbell - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Preschool language ability is predicted by toddler Hand Preference trajectories.
Developmental psychology, 2020Co-Authors: Sandy L. Gonzalez, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, George F. Michel, Stefany Coxe, Eliza L. NelsonAbstract:Prior work has found links between consistency in toddler Handedness for the fine motor skill role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM), and language development at 2 and 3 years of age. The current study investigated whether consistency in Handedness from 18 to 24 months (N = 90) for RDBM predicts receptive and expressive language abilities assessed using the Preschool Language Scales 5th edition (PLS-5) at 5 years old. Latent class growth analyses identified 3 stable RDBM Hand Preference trajectories: a left Hand Preference with moderate right Hand use (left-moderate right), a right Hand Preference with moderate left Hand use (right-moderate left), and a right Hand Preference with only mild left Hand use (right-mild left). At 5 years of age, children with a right-mild left Handedness trajectory as toddlers scored significantly higher on receptive and expressive language abilities compared to children with a left-moderate right Hand Preference. Children with a right-mild left Hand Preference for RDBM also scored significantly higher on receptive language abilities compared to children with a right-moderate left RDBM Hand Preference. Children with left-moderate right and children with a right-moderate left Hand Preference for RDBM as toddlers did not differ in receptive or expressive language abilities at 5 years. Results indicate that individual differences in Hand Preference consistency for fine motor skill in toddlerhood have cascading effects on language outcomes into the preschool years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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The development of neuromotor skills and Hand Preference during infancy.
Developmental psychobiology, 2017Co-Authors: Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, George F. MichelAbstract:Assessing infant Handedness has been controversial. Different assessment techniques and theoretical approaches produce different results. Evidence from a dynamic systems perspective showed that the development of postural control during infancy affects the expression of an infant's Handedness. However, others found that developmental changes in postural control influenced the amount of symmetrical (bimanual) reaching during infancy, but not Hand Preference. Since most studies of infant Handedness use age to assess development, perhaps measures of an infant's developing neuromotor control, irrespective of age, would better predict changes in an infant's Hand Preference. To assess neuromotor development, items from [Touwen's (1976) Neurological development in infancy. Lavenham, Suffolk: The Lavenham Press, LTD]. "Group III" indices were used. These items assess developmental changes in neuromotor abilities throughout the 6-14-month age period. Hand Preference for acquiring objects was measured during these same months. Group Based Trajectory Models (GBTM) of 380 infants identified four different groups of infants according to the trajectory of the development of their Hand Preferences (32% Early Right, 12% Early Left, 25% Late Right, 30% No Preference). A multilevel model was used to compare these four developmental trajectories according to age and neuromotor development. Age, not neuromotor development, is a better predictor of differences in developmental trajectories of the four Hand Preference groups. However, Late Right infants are significantly less developed at 6 months than No Preference, Early Right and Left infants and both Early Right and Left infants are most advanced at 6 months. All groups exhibit similar rates of neuromotor development indicating no "catch-up" by the Late Right infants. Thus, any assessment of infant Handedness will incorporate necessarily four groups of infants with differently developing Hand Preferences and neuromotor abilities.
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Toddler Hand Preference trajectories predict 3-year language outcome.
Developmental Psychobiology, 2017Co-Authors: Eliza L. Nelson, Sandy L. Gonzalez, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, Stefany Coxe, George F. MichelAbstract:A growing body of work suggests that early motor experience affects development in unexpected domains. In the current study, children's Hand Preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM) was measured at monthly intervals from 18 to 24 months of age (N = 90). At 3 years of age, children's language ability was assessed using the Preschool Language Scales 5th edition (PLS™-5). Three distinct RDBM Hand Preference trajectories were identified using latent class growth analysis: (1) children with a left Hand Preference but a moderate amount of right Hand use; (2) children with a right Hand Preference but a moderate amount of left Hand use; and (3) children with a right Hand Preference and only a mild amount of left Hand use. Stability over time within all three trajectories indicated that children did not change Hand use patterns from 18 to 24 months. Children with the greatest amount of preferred (i.e., right) Hand use demonstrated higher expressive language scores compared to children in both trajectories with moderate levels of non-preferred Hand use. Children with the greatest amount of right Hand use also had higher scores for receptive language compared to children with a right Hand Preference but moderate left Hand use. Results support that consistency in Handedness as measured by the amount of preferred Hand use is related to distal language outcomes in development.
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Infant Hand Preference and the Development of Cognitive Abilities
Frontiers in psychology, 2016Co-Authors: George F. Michel, Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, Eliza L. Nelson, Iryna BabikAbstract:Hand Preference develops in the first two postnatal years with nearly half of infants exhibiting a consistent early Preference for acquiring objects. Others exhibit a more variable developmental trajectory but by the end of their second postnatal year, most exhibit a consistent Hand Preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation. According to some forms of embodiment theory, these differences in Hand use patterns should influence the way children interact with their environments, which, in turn, should affect the structure and function of brain development. Such early differences in brain development should result in different trajectories of psychological development. We present evidence that children with consistent early Hand Preferences exhibit advanced patterns of cognitive development as compared to children who develop a Hand Preference later. Differences in the developmental trajectory of Hand Preference are predictive of developmental differences in language, object management skills, and tool-use skills. As predicted by Cassasanto’s body-specificity hypothesis, infants with different Hand Preferences proceed along different developmental pathways of cognitive functioning.
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The influence of a Hand Preference for acquiring objects on the development of a Hand Preference for unimanual manipulation from 6 to 14 months.
Infant behavior & development, 2015Co-Authors: Julie M. Campbell, Emily C. Marcinowski, Iryna Babik, George F. MichelAbstract:Development of Hand Preferences for unimanual manipulation of objects was explored in 90 infants (57 males) tested monthly from 6 to 14 months. From a larger sample of 380 infants, 30 infants with a consistent left Hand Preference for acquiring objects were matched for sex and development of locomotion skills with 30 infants with a consistent right Hand Preference for acquisition and 30 with no Preference. Although frequency of unimanual manipulations increased during 6-14 month period, infants with a Hand Preference for acquisition did more object manipulations than those without a Preference for acquisition. Multilevel modeling of unimanual manipulation trajectories for the three Hand-Preference groups revealed that Hand Preferences for unimanual manipulation become more distinctive with age, and the Preference is predicted by the Hand Preference for object acquisition. Infants with a right and left Hand Preference for object acquisition develop a right and left (respectively) Hand Preference for unimanual manipulation. However, the majority of infants at each month do not exhibit Hand Preferences for unimanual manipulation that are unlikely to occur by chance, even by 14 months. The results are consistent with a cascading theory of Handedness development in which early Preferences (i.e., for acquisition) are transferred to later developing Preferences (i.e., for unimanual manipulation).
