Predictors of human rotation.
Why some humans prefer to rotate clockwise rather than anticlockwise is not well understood. This study aims to identify the predictors of the preferred rotation direction in humans. The variables hypothesised to influence rotation preference include handedness, footedness, sex, brain hemisphere lateralisation, and the Coriolis effect (which results from geospatial location on the Earth). An online questionnaire allowed us to analyse data from 1526 respondents in 97 countries. Factor analysis showed that the direction of rotation should be studied separately for local and global movements. Handedness, footedness, and the item hypothesised to measure brain hemisphere lateralisation are predictors of rotation direction for both global and local movements. Sex is a predictor of the direction of global rotation movements but not local ones, and both sexes tend to rotate clockwise. Geospatial location does not predict the preferred direction of rotation. Our study confirms previous findings concerning the influence of handedness, footedness, and sex on human rotation; our study also provides new insight into the underlying structure of human rotation movements and excludes the Coriolis effect as a predictor of rotation.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, Box 181, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK. js883@cam.ac.uk
Jan
J
Stochl
Tim
T
Croudace
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D003312:Coriolis Force; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009862:Online Systems; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012399:Rotation; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult