title: Pause before you respond: handedness influences response style on the Tower of Hanoi task.
abstract: Comparative laterality research has indicated that marmoset monkeys with a righthand preference take less time to respond to novel objects within a novel environment (Cameron & Rogers, 1999). This suggests that right hemisphere dominance may be associated with a more cautious cognitive style in novel situations. The present study tested this hypothesis using right- and left-handed human participants to complete a three-disk Tower of Hanoi (TOH) task. It was hypothesised that left-handers would be slower to initiate responding. A total of 84 participants (42 left-handers, 42 right-handers) took part and the time taken to make the first move, completion time, and the number of moves taken to complete the task were recorded. Analysis of Variance revealed a significant main effect of handedness, with left-handers taking longer to move the first disk and significantly fewer moves to complete the task. However, left-handers were not significantly faster at completing the TOH, although males completed the task more quickly than females. These initial findings support the hypothesis that left-hand dominance is associated with a more cautious cognitive style in novel problem-solving situations.
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychology, University of Abertay Dundee, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG, UK.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Scott M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hardie
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rodway
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D011340:Problem Solving; D011930:Reaction Time; D012737:Sex Factors; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis