title: The effects of hand preference and gender on finger tapping performance asymmetry by the use of an infra-red light measurement device.
abstract: We used an infra-red device to study the effects of gender and handwriting preference on manual asymmetry in tapping rate and intertap variability. Our sample (n=102) consisted of approximately equal number of subjects with respect to gender (52 women and 50 men) and handedness (52 right-handers and 50 left-handers). Data on overall performance indicated that men performed more quickly and regularly than women. The index used for measuring manual asymmetry was the difference between the hands as a proportion of the total. Therefore, the asymmetry index was adjusted to remove the influence of overall performance. The analyses based on asymmetry scores indicated a significant handedness effect: right-handers showed greater manual asymmetries than left-handers for both tapping rate and intertap variability. In addition, right handers exhibited a significant greater asymmetry for intertap variability than tapping rate. Taken together, these data may reflect greater hemispheric differences in right-handers, specially for intertap variability.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neurofisiologia e Avaliação Neurocomportamental, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Pavilhão Américo Piquet Carneiro - 5 degrees andar, Vila Izabel, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20551030, Brazil. schmidt@uerj.br
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Krahe
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Filgueiras
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007259:Infrared Rays; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics