The Impact of Lateral Dominance and Gender on Fine Motor Skill Performance: An Analysis Based on Ipsilateralness and Contralateralness

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

2 Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

3 Department of Sports Physiology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of lateral dominance (ipsilateral vs. contralateral) and gender on fine motor skill performance in adolescents. Conducted during the 2021-2022 academic year in Shiraz, the experimental study involved 383 adolescents aged 16 to 18, selected due to COVID-19 conditions. The Edinburgh Handedness Questionnaire assessed hand dominance, the Hole-in-the-Card test identified the dominant eye, and the Grooved Pegboard test evaluated fine motor skills.



Results from the analysis of variance revealed that in the ipsilateral group (dominant eye = dominant hand), there was no significant gender difference (p > 0.05). Conversely, in the contralateral group (dominant eye ≠ dominant hand), females outperformed males across all variables (p < 0.05), with significant differences noted in right-hand time (p = 0.001), left-hand time (p = 0.028), and overall score (p = 0.003).



In conclusion, gender and lateral dominance significantly influence fine motor skill performance, suggesting that educational and training programs for adolescents should consider these factors to enhance motor skills effectively.

Keywords