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Fetal handedness and head position preference: A developmental study
Author(s) -
de Vries J.I.P.,
Wimmers R.H.,
Ververs I.A.P.,
Hopkins B.,
Savelsbergh G.J.P.,
van Geijn H.P.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.1042
Subject(s) - psychology , fetal head , head (geology) , preference , developmental psychology , audiology , position (finance) , gestational age , laterality , fetus , anatomy , medicine , pregnancy , biology , finance , economics , microeconomics , paleontology , genetics
Abstract Hand–head contacts were observed by means of serial ultrasound recordings in 10 healthy fetuses from 12 to 38 weeks of gestational age. Contacts were distinguished as being unimanual or bimanual, and if unimanual, whether they were made with the right or left hand. Both types of contact and ones made unimanually with the right or left hand were identified at each age as to whether they were associated with a preferential head position. A strong unimanual bias was evident at each age except for Week 36. At this age, there was a bimanual bias. Unimanual contacts did not develop a lateralized preference, and neither type of contact established a stable relationship with head position. Furthermore, there was no evidence to support the suggestion that hand contact and head position codevelop to form a preferred ipsilateral synergy. Findings are discussed relative to contradictory evidence from other fetal and neonatal studies. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 39: 171–178, 2001