title: Sequential effects after practice with the dominant and non-dominant hand on the acquisition of a sliding task in schoolchildren.
abstract: This study was designed to investigate sequential effects after practice with the dominant and non-dominant hand on the acquisition of a new motor task. A total of 64 middle school children were asked to practise a cent-slide task, which required them to slide coins from one side of a cardboard into a circular target on the opposite side. Four groups practised this task within different practice schedules: (1) participants practised only with their dominant hand (right-only group); (2) participants used only their non-dominant hand (left-only group); (3) participants started to practise the skill with their dominant hand and then switched to their non-dominant hand (right-to-left group); or (4) participants started to practise the skill with their non-dominant hand and then switched to their dominant hand (left-to-right group). The acquisition of the task was facilitated after initial practice with the non-dominant hand. This was reflected in a better retention of the task and a stronger performance under a modified testing situation of the left-to-right group when compared to all other groups. Also, the left-only group showed larger interlimb transfer effects to the untrained hand than the right-only group. It is concluded that the sequence in which the dominant and non-dominant hands are used to practise influences the acquisition of new motor tasks.
authors.affiliation: University of Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Senff
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weigelt
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis