A total of 1022 children aged 3 to 6 years were examined in their preschools and 27% of them were followed up for 2 years. A computerised version of the peg-moving task was used repeatedly to assess hand skill of the dominant and the nondominant hand. Cognitive performance was repeatedly evaluated by tasks involving speech, vocabulary, phonological memory, and visual-spatial skills. Results showed that: (i) age, sex, and handedness effects on hand skill asymmetry generally confirmed previous reports, especially by Annett (2002); (ii) visual-spatial and vocabulary tasks were significantly related to hand skill but speech and phonological memory tasks were not, and the role of the dominant and nondominant hand were similar; (iii) overall, manual laterality indexes were only weakly associated to some cognitive abilities; (iv) early manual skill was more strongly associated to cognitive tasks than later manual skill. These results fit the assumption of a significant role of early manual behaviour in aspects of cognitive development not relying exclusively on phonology, and raise questions about cognitive development and rehabilitation of children with early occurring manual deficiencies.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13576500342000121 | DOI Listing |
Healthcare (Basel)
January 2025
Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences, 51-612 Wrocław, Poland.
To date, the health effects of karate have not been identified. Therefore, the aim of this article is to learn more about the health effects of karate training based on a review of current research. The Scopus database was searched from 2000 onwards for available articles related only to karate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Biol
January 2025
Sony Computer Science Laboratories Inc. (Sony CSL), Tokyo, Japan.
Complex motor skills involve intricate sequences of movements that require precise temporal coordination across multiple body parts, posing challenges to mastery based on perceived error or reward. One approach that has been widely used is to decompose such skills into simpler, constituent movement elements during the learning process, thereby aligning the task complexity with the learners' capacity for accurate execution. Despite common belief and prevalent adoption, the effectiveness of this method remains elusive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Instituto de Ciencias Aplicadas y Tecnología (ICAT), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México, México.
In laparoscopy, the absence of ergonomics in the instruments affects the performance and efficiency of the surgeon, increasing the likelihood of developing musculoskeletal injuries. This article presents the development of a laparoscopic needle holder with an ergonomic handle and the experience in its use with surgeons in the intracorporeal suturing task. The handle of the laparoscopic needle holder consists of a semi-spherical piece that easily adapts to the palm of the surgeon's hand and improves the posture and ergonomics of the wrist, allowing the direct transmission of rotational movements around the longitudinal axis of the instrument towards the tip.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLaterality
January 2025
Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland.
The overrepresentation of left-handers among professional Western artists has been attributed to the lateralization of the human brain, suggesting that left-handed individuals are more creative and more likely to become artists. We aimed to test this notion among a non-industrialized population. We conducted a study in the Asmat region of Papua, renowned for their abundance of wood carving artists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt Arch Otorhinolaryngol
January 2025
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Army College of Medical Sciences, Brar Square, Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi, India.
Stapedotomy is the standard of care in the surgical management of clinical otosclerosis. It is a precise and technically demanding craft requiring impeccable surgical skills. Both conventional and laser-assisted procedures aim to achieve closure of the air-bone gap (ABG) with minimum collateral damage.
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