THE EFFECTS OF AGE AND GENDER ON FINGER TAPPING SPEED IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
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. The sample for this study included 111 preschool children, aged 3 to 6 years (mean age4.6; SD0.9), 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). 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. 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.