Handedness and intellectual achievement: an even-handed look.
Evidence from a large-scale study of 11-year olds in Britain suggests that ambidextrous individuals may be disadvantaged in tests of verbal, nonverbal, reading, and mathematical skills relative to right- and left-handers, but this basic finding was not replicated in another study of younger boys in Germany. Here, we present data based on a television show in which members of the public were given an IQ test. Some individuals were also asked to state whether they wrote with the left hand, right hand, or either hand. The data support the earlier finding that ambidextrous individuals perform more poorly than left- or right-handers, especially on subscales measuring arithmetic, memory, and reasoning, and extend that finding to adults.
Corballis
Michael C
MC
Department of Psychology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. m.corballis@auckland.ac.nz
Hattie
John
J
Fletcher
Richard
R
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology*; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011932:Reading; D012737:Sex Factors; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology