Abstract
The WatHand Cabinet Test (WHCT) (Bryden, Roy & Spence, 2007) has been significantly correlated with the Waterloo Handedness Questionnaire (Bryden, 1977) and the Annett Pegboard (Annett, 1985) as a reliable behavioural-based measure of hand preference used to observe and quantify hand preference in individuals of all ages. The current study was performed to analyze the relationship between sub-scores of bimanual performance on the WHCT and a Bimanual Coordination Beading Task (Parlow & Harris, 2005). 45 right-handed children (3-8 years old) participated in this study. Preliminary analysis revealed 3-4 year olds use either hand to open the cabinet door, but the preferred hand to pick up the candy dispenser; 5-6 year olds use their non-preferred hand to open the cabinet door, but the preferred hand to pick up the candy dispenser; 7-8 year olds were equally as likely to use the right or left hand for both components of the task. Observing trends in the beading task, 3-4 year olds were observed using the preferred and non-preferred hands equally as often for threading and beading; where 5 to 8 year olds used their preferred hand for threading and non-preferred hand for beading. Preliminary findings suggest that with age, children are more likely to use their preferred hand for threading; however, are variable when lifting a cabinet door and picking up a candy dispenser. Future work will include a larger sample size to further analyze relationships at a quantitative level.Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of for funding this project.