Lateral preferences and their assessment in school-aged children.
A behaviour-based lateral preference instrument (the Lateral Preferences Questionnaire; LPQ; Van Strien, 1992, 2001) was administered to a large sample of school-aged children. The aims of the present study were twofold: (i) to evaluate the factor structure and the psychometric properties of the LPQ, and (ii) to evaluate the effects of age, gender, and mean level of parental education on lateral preferences and lateral consistency. Two factor models had an excellent fit with the data. In the first model the LPQ items were considered to be indicators of four different lateral preference factors (the hand, foot, eye, and ear preference factors). In the second model the LPQ items were considered to be indicators of four lateral preference factors, which were in turn expected to load on a single underlying general lateral preference factor. The psychometric properties of the derived hand and eye preference scales of the LPQ were good to excellent, and the psychometric properties of the foot and ear preference scales were acceptable. Lateral preferences and lateral consistency were not affected by age, gender, or mean level of parental education.
Van der Elst
Wim
W
Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Wim.vanderelst@gmail.com
Meijs
Celeste J C
CJ
Hurks
Petra P M
PP
Wassenberg
Renske
R
Van Boxtel
Martin P J
MP
Jolles
Jelle
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*