Is a Maturational Lag Associated with Left-Handedness? A Research Note

One element of Coren and Halpera's controversial theory [Psychological Bulletin, 109, 90‐106 (1991)] that left‐handedness is associated with shorter lifespans is the hypothesis that sinistrality is accompanied by a developmental lag. Perinatal traumas could interfere with the normal developmental shift to right‐sided lateral preferences during childhood, leading to an association between maturational lag and left‐handedness. In a test of this hypothesis, we assessed current stature, predicted adult stature and relative stature, an index of physical maturity, for elementary school‐aged children in three separate, large‐sample studies. No relations between hand preference and the three measures of physical status were found. Repeated failures to confirm the hypothesis with pre‐adolescent samples raise serious doubt about the viability of the left‐handed developmental lag hypothesis.