A Female Advantage in the Imitation of Gestures by Preschool Children

Abstract

Adult research has suggested a sex difference in the neuroanatomical organization and efficiency of the limb praxis system. The present study used a videotape analysis of movement errors to investigate whether a sex difference in limb praxis can be identified in childhood. Preschool girls (n = 33) committed fewer “praxic” errors than boys (n = 31) (i.e., errors that resemble those seen in limb apraxia) when imitating non-representational gestures and when imitating common, everyday gestures with representational content. In none of the conditions did the female advantage generalize to “nonpraxic” error categories. The findings were not explained by a female advantage in cognitive development. The current study supports the hypothesis of a sex difference in limb praxis that is present from an early age.