Citation

Kahrs BA, Jung WP, Lockman JJ. Child Dev. 2014; 85(3): 1050-1061.

Affiliation

Tulane University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/cdev.12179

PMID

24128178

Abstract

This study examines the development of hammering within an ontogenetic and evolutionary framework using motion-capture technology. Twenty-four right-handed toddlers (19-35 months) wore reflective markers while hammering a peg into a peg-board. The study focuses on the motor characteristics that make tool use uniquely human: wrist involvement, lateralization, and handle use. Older children showed more distally controlled movements, characterized by relatively more reliance on the wrist, but only when hammering with their right hand. Greater age, use of the right hand, and more wrist involvement were associated with higher accuracy; handle use did not systematically change with age. Collectively, the results provide new insights about the emergence of hammering in young children and when hammering begins to manifest distinctively human characteristics.

Language: en