Unimanual performance across the age span

Abstract

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the age-related changes in the performance of the two hands on the Annett pegboard ( Annett, 1970). The current study was part of a large-scale study investigating the development of unimanual and bimanual performance. Three hundred and two right-handed individuals participated in the present study, comprising five different age groups (3–5 year olds, 6 and 7 year olds, 8 and 9 year olds, 10–12 year olds, and 19–24 year olds). All participants completed the Waterloo Handedness Questionnaire and the standard Annett pegboard. Analyses revealed significant overall performance differences between the hands, as expected, where the right hand was significantly faster than the left hand. Additionally, significant performance differences between the hands were noted as a function of age. More specifically, the adults showed a much smaller performance difference between the hands than the other age groups. The results are discussed in light of current theories of the development of hand preference and manual asymmetry.