Asymmetry of Manual Preference and Performance

Abstract

Laterality assessments for 1,966 unselected psychology undergraduates are compared on three questionnaires of tested reliability. Performances of the right and left hands of 167 university students are also reported for eight motor tasks of known reliability. Questionnaire results show good agreement among the three different methods of assessment for right-handedness but not for left-handedness. Preferences on activities such as handwriting and throwing suggest these are well-lateralized skills but that tasks mostly requiring strength are not; these findings are supported by data from the study of manual performance. The validity of handedness measures is discussed, and it is suggested that a longer and more wide-ranging questionnaire with self-weighting of items may provide a more appropriate alternative to the 10- or 12-item inventory usually employed for purposes of research or clinical practice.