The complex relationship between hand preference, language, executive function, and social competence in preschool children

Poster Session A - Saturday, April 13, 2024, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Nicole A van Rootselaar¹ (nicole.vanrootselaar@uleth.ca), Fangfang Li¹, Robbin Gibb¹, Claudia L. R. Gonzalez¹; ¹University of Lethbridge

Vocabulary acquisition is an important lateralized skill that predicts academic success in preschool children. Previous research indicates that vocabulary has a complex relationship with hand-preference, executive function, and social competence. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between these functions in a sample of 82 preschool children in Southern Alberta, Canada. The results replicated previous work where right-hand use for pointing predicted greater vocabulary accuracy. Further, we used regression analyses to establish a reciprocal connection between vocabulary and social competence as well as executive function and social competence, but not vocabulary and executive function. These results highlight the efficacy of interventions targeting a single skill and benefitting multiple areas of development in preschool children.

Topic Area: LANGUAGE: Development & aging