A lateral bias in the neuropsychological functioning of human infants

Abstract

Using my published and unpublished research, a description of the development and functional significance of infant hand‐use preferences is presented. Although the character of the infant's handedness will vary with the development of manual skill, the majority of infants maintain stable preferences throughout the 6‐ to 14‐month age range. As with adult handedness, right‐handedness predominates in infancy. Infants without stable hand‐use preferences show delays, when compared to infants with stable hand‐use preferences, in the development of several sensorimotor cognitive skills. Both maternal‐ and infant‐generated experiences contribute to the development of handedness. Given evidence of limited interhemispheric communication during the 1st year, infant handedness can contribute to the development of the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres.