An Investigation of Hand Use in Preschool Children
Vocabulary and Social Competence Predict Cognitive Development
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20368696 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nicole A van Rootselaar (0000-0002-8128-5196, University of Lethbridge, corresponding author), Fangfang Li (0000-0001-7047-6918, University of Lethbridge), Robbin Gibb (University of Lethbridge), Claudia L R Gonzalez (0000-0001-7338-9940, University of Lethbridge) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 736-758 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Child Language (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0305-0009 • E-ISSN: 1469-7602 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0305000925000108 |
| PMID | 40151140 |
| OpenAlex | W4408917899 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 63 |
Previous research indicates that strong right-hand preference predicts performance in other skills, such as vocabulary size and executive function (EF). The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between these functions, as well as social competence (SC), in a sample of preschool children. We used parent questionnaires and/or tabletop assessments to measure hand preference, fine motor skills, language, EF, and SC in 81 three- to five-year-old children. The results strengthened the evidence of a connection between right-hand use for pointing and vocabulary performance but indicated that right-hand use was not related to EF or SC. Further, the findings revealed a reciprocal connection between vocabulary and SC as well as EF and SC, but not vocabulary and EF. We discuss the implications of these connections for early childhood development
Cognition · Developmental psychology · Language development · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Reciprocal · Social change · Social competence · Social skills · Teaching method · Vocabulary · Vocabulary development · Child and Animal Learning Development · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Hemispheric Asymmetry in Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology
Individual Differences in Inhibitory Control and Children's Theory of Mind
Systematic review of physical activity and cognitive development in early childhood
Executive function and the promotion of social–emotional competence
The Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS)
Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4
A Meta-Analytic Review of Preschool Social and Emotional Learning Interventions
Preschool language and visuospatial skills respectively predict multiplication and addition/subtraction skills in middle school children
At 10–12 Months, Pointing Gesture Handedness Predicts the Size of Receptive Vocabularies
What you say, and how you say it
The social bases of language acquisition
Identification of social-emotional problems in young children using a parent-completed screening measure
Early handedness in infancy predicts language ability in toddlers
Preschool language ability is predicted by toddler hand preference trajectories
Building executive function in pre-school children through play
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |