THE EFFECTS OF AGE AND GENDER ON FINGER TAPPING SPEED IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

• Published in: Acta neuropsychologica (Warszawa) Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 55 - 62
• Main Authors: Memisevic, Haris, Mahmutovic, Indira, Pasalic, Arnela, Biscevic, Inga Ibralic
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2017
• ISSN: 1730-7503
• DOI: 10.5604/12321966.1237450

Background: The assessment of children’s motor control is very important in detecting potential motor deficits. The Finger Tapping Test (FTT) is a widely used test in various clinical and non-clinical populations. FTT is a neuropsychological test designed to measure motor control. Age and gender are significant pre - dictors of finger tapping speed in school-aged children. The goal of the present study was to determine the effects of age and gender on finger tapping speed in preschool children. Material/Methods: The sample for this study included 111 preschool children, aged 3 to 6 years (mean age- 4.6; SD- 0.9), of both genders (59 boys, 52 girls). As a measure of finger tapping speed we used the Finger Tapping Test from the Psychology Experi -ment Building Language (PEBL). Results: The results of this study found a significant effect of age on finger tapping speed. Contrary to the existing studies, there was no gender effect on the tapping speed in preschoolers. A one way analysis of variance showed that older children performed significantly better than younger children Conclusions:There is a linear trend of improved performance on FTT with an increasing age. The child’s gender was not a significant predictor of FTT for preschool children. Motor control and speed can be improved through exercise.