title: A developmental analysis of the relationship between hand preference and performance: II. A performance-based method of measuring hand preference in children.
abstract: The present study describes a performance-based method of measuring hand preference in children. Three aspects of handedness were considered to be important in developing the paradigm (a) overall hand preference across a number of tasks, (b) consistency of hand use and, (c) the use of the preferred hand in a bimanual task. The new paradigm, termed the WatHand Box Test (WBT), requires participants to perform a variety of unimanual tasks such as, using a hammer, tossing a ball, and opening a lock with a key. To determine the validity of the WBT and examine the developmental trends in hand preference, eighty right-handed children and adults (ages 3-4, 6-7, 9-10, and 18-24 years) performed the WBT. First, the WBT was found to correlate significantly with scores on a standard hand preference questionnaire for the adults. As well, significant developmental trends were noted in hand preference as measured by the WBT. Most specifically, three- and four-year-olds had significantly lower scores on the WBT indicating a less stable pattern of hand preference than in the other three age groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Bryden
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Pryde
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Roy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires