Finger Localization and Finger Praxis

The relations between finger localization and various types of finger praxis were assessed by estimates of the inter-correlations among the performance of 100 six-year-old children. Finger localization was related significantly to those types of finger praxis which involve movements of the individual fingers with respect to each other. Right-left discrimination was related to finger localization, but not to the measures of finger praxis. The findings are interpreted in terms of the construct of the finger schema, which can be viewed as a determinant of performance in both the localization and praxis tasks. This construct can also serve as an explanation of the observed concurrence of finger agnosia and finger apraxia as a consequence of cerebral disease.