How does handedness affect the development of construction skill from 10-24 months?
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Emily. C. Marcinowski (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- George Michel
Abstract: The Cascade Theory of Handedness Development suggests that an individual’s hand preference results from a developmental history of cascading manual asymmetries for a variety of actions throughout infancy (Michel, 1983). Infants who consistently use their preferred hand for a variety of actions would gain proficiency using that hand and, consequently, could perform more effectively on other challenging manual tasks, such as object construction. Object construction ability has been linked with the development of a number of cognitive abilities, including spatial abilities and language. Therefore, linking infant handedness with object construction could provide insight into how the behavioral proficiency derived from a hand preference could affect cognitive development. This project tests the relation between infant handedness and object construction ability for 131 infants (70 males) who were assessed monthly for the development of a hand preference (6-14 months) and the development of construction ability (10-14 months). Of these 131 infants, 65 toddlers (30 males) were tested for their toddler hand preference (18-24 months) and their construction ability. The results generally supported the prediction that infants with a consistent hand preference were better at construction during both age periods than those infants without a preference. Also, toddlers with a hand preference demonstrated more sophisticated construction skills than those without a preference. The results are related to the development of infant cognition with a particular emphasis on embodiment theory.
How does handedness affect the development of construction skill from 10-24 months?
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Created on 12/1/2015
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2015
- Keywords
- Cognitive, Development, Handedness, Infant, Motor, Multilevel modeling
- Subjects
- Left- and right-handedness
- Motor ability in infants
- Infants $x Development
- Cognition in infants