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A group test for the assessment of performance between the hands | JoVE Visualize

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Mathematical Sciences

A group test for the assessment of performance between the hands

S M Tapley, M P Bryden

Neuropsychologia|January 1, 1985

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This study found that a dot-placing test reliably measures handedness and correlates with hand preference. Results suggest left-handers form a distinct subgroup within the population.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology
Human Biology

Background:

Handedness, the preference for using one hand over the other, is a complex trait.
Understanding the distribution and characteristics of handedness is crucial in human behavioral studies.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the reliability and validity of a group performance test for measuring handedness.
To analyze the population distribution of hand performance and preference.
To investigate whether left-handers constitute a distinct subgroup.

Main Methods:

Administered a group performance test of handedness to 1556 undergraduates.
The test involved subjects rapidly placing dots into circles.
Correlated test performance with established hand preference measures.

Main Results:

The dot-placing test demonstrated reliability and significant correlation with hand preference.
Both hand performance and preference measures showed skewed distributions in the population.
These skewed distributions were well-modeled by two normal curves, indicating a right-biased and a left-biased group.

Conclusions:

The developed group performance test is a reliable and valid measure of handedness.
The findings support the hypothesis that left-handers represent a distinct subgroup within the general population.
This distinctiveness is observable in both performance and preference measures of handedness.

Probability Theory

A Group Test For The Assessment Of Performance Between The Hands