title: An examination of the leftward cradling bias among typically developing adults high on autistic traits.
abstract: The leftward cradling bias is the tendency to cradle infants on the left side of the body and it has been linked with hemispheric asymmetry for emotional processing. This study examines this phenomenon using a real-size infant doll in typically developing adults who score high in the Reading the Mind in the Eyes, the Autistic Spectrum Quotient and the Empathy Quotient, measures that assess autistic traits among typically developing individuals. Results revealed that this group showed a reduced tendency to cradle on the left compared to participants who score within the normal range on the above measurements. This study provides further support for the justification of the leftward cradling bias upon brain lateralization on emotional processing. Study limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Theoretical & Applied Linguistics, School of English , Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fleva
authors.forename: Azizuddin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010332:Paternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011601:Psychophysics; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Autistic traits; Hemispheric asymmetry; Lateralization; Leftward cradling bias