Hand preference in referential gestures: Relationships to accessing words for speaking in monolingual and bilingual children

Introduction Infants’ right‐hand preference for pointing is associated with higher vocabulary. It is not clear whether the link between right‐hand preference for gesturing and language persists into the preschool years. The primary purpose of the present study was to test whether preschool children's hand preference for referential gestures was associated with their language abilities. Secondarily, we predicted that the children's right‐hand preference would be negatively associated with their visuospatial abilities. We also predicted that monolingual children would show a strong right‐hand preference while bilinguals might show a reduced right‐hand preference. Methods Monolingual and bilingual children between the ages of four and six years did a storytelling task. Their referential gestures were coded for hand use (right, left, both). We measured language skills (receptive vocabulary, semantic fluency). Results We found no difference between bilinguals and monolinguals on hand preference. Semantic fluency was a positive predictor and vocabulary a negative predictor of right‐hand preference. Children's visuospatial abilities were not a predictor of right‐hand preference. Conclusion These results suggest that right‐hand preference may help children select semantically appropriate words out of their existing vocabulary. In other words, this preference may be related to children's construction of the message that they would like to produce. The association between hand preference and language skills persists into the preschool years. Preschool children who use their right hand more when gesturing score lower on a standardized vocabulary test but are better at generating examples of a given semantic category (like "animals"). These results could suggest that use of the right hand in gesturing helps children choose particular words for speaking.