Eaton W O, Chipperfield J G, Ritchot K F, Kostiuk J H
Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1996 Jul;37(5):613-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1996.tb01448.x.
One element of Coren and Halpern'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.
科伦和哈尔彭有争议的理论[《心理通报》，第109卷，第90 - 106页（1991年）]中认为左撇子与较短寿命相关的一个因素是这样一种假设，即左利手伴随着发育滞后。围产期创伤可能会干扰儿童时期正常向右侧偏好的发育转变，导致成熟滞后与左撇子之间产生关联。在对这一假设的一项测试中，我们在三项独立的大样本研究中评估了小学适龄儿童的当前身高、预测成年身高和相对身高（身体成熟度的一个指标）。未发现用手偏好与身体状况的这三项指标之间存在关联。反复未能在青春期前样本中证实这一假设，引发了人们对左利手发育滞后假设可行性的严重质疑。
