title: Consistency of handedness, regardless of direction, predicts baseline memory accuracy and potential for memory enhancement.
abstract: Research has shown that consistently right-handed individuals have poorer memory than do inconsistently right- or left-handed individuals under baseline conditions but more reliably exhibit enhanced memory retrieval after making a series of saccadic eye movements. From this it could be that consistent versus inconsistent handedness, regardless of left/right direction, is an important individual difference factor in memory. Or, more specifically, it could be the presence or absence of consistent right-handedness that matters for memory. To resolve this ambiguity, we compared consistent and inconsistent left- and right-handers on associative recognition tests taken after saccades or a no-saccades control activity. Consistent-handers exhibited poorer memory than did inconsistent-handers following the control activity, and saccades enhanced retrieval for consistent-handers only. Saccades impaired retrieval for inconsistent-handers. None of these effects depended on left/right direction. Hence, this study establishes handedness consistency, regardless of direction, as an important individual difference factor in memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA. keith.lyle@louisville.edu
authors.forename: Keith B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Lyle
authors.forename: Shelley D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hanaver-Torrez
authors.forename: Ryan P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Hackländer
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Edlin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012438:Saccades; D055815:Young Adult