Differences in academic performance at school depending on handedness: matter for neuropathology?
Two studies found that left-handed children had significantly poorer academic records than did right-handed children, though the effect was small. Study 1 provided evidence that, for some academic disciplines, the important difference appeared to be between those children whose family history of handedness was concordant with their own handedness and those children whose family history of handedness was discordant with their own handedness. The inclusion of gender in asymmetry research was bolstered by Study 2. When predicting idiosyncrasies in left-handers' cognitive performance, it should be borne in mind that left-handers form a minority group as well as a neurologically distinct one.
Department of Psychology, University of Ulster at Coleraine, Northern Ireland, Londonderry.
S M
SM
Williams
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D014706:Verbal Learning / Q000502:physiology