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

10.22059/sshr.2025.381339.1157

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