title: Affective imposition influences risky choice: handedness points to the hemispheres.
abstract: The study of risk preference has become a widely investigated area of research. The current study is designed to investigate the relationship between handedness, hemispheric predominance and valence imposition in a risky-choice decision task. Research into the valence hypothesis (e.g., Ahern & Schwartz, 1985; Davidson, 1984) has shown that the left hemisphere is more active in processing positively valenced stimuli, whereas the right hemisphere is more active in processing negatively valenced stimuli. A total of 520 individuals (343 female, 117 male) participated in a self-imposed framing task and took a degree of handedness questionnaire. The results of the framing task and handedness questionnaire showed that participants' degree of handedness significantly influenced the positive/negative valence they imposed onto the framing task as well as their level of risk preference.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University, 222 Joyce Lawrence Lane. Boone, NC 28608, USA. MCELROYGT@appstate.edu
authors.forename: Todd
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McElroy
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corbin
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012306:Risk; D012718:Set, Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires