Hand and paw preferences in relation to the lateralized brain

Hand preferences of primates are discussed as part of the broad perspective of brain lateralization in animals, and compared with paw preferences in non-primates. Previously, it has been suggested that primates are more likely to express a species-typical hand preference on complex tasks, especially in the case of coordinated hand use in using tools. I suggest that population-level hand preferences are manifested when the task demands the obligate use of the processing specialization of one hemisphere, and that this depends on the nature of the task rather than its complexity per se . Depending on the species, simple reaching tasks may not demand the obligate use of a specialized hemisphere and so do not constrain limb/hand use. In such cases, individuals may show hand preferences that are associated with consistent differences in behaviour. The individual's hand preference is associated with the expression of behaviour controlled by the hemisphere contralateral to the preferred hand (fear and reactivity in left-handed individuals versus proactivity in right-handed individuals). Recent findings of differences in brain structure between left- and right-handed primates (e.g. somatosensory cortex in marmosets) have been discussed and related to potential evolutionary advances.

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Intraspecific competition and coordination in the evolution of lateralization

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2008.0227 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 364 (1519) ◽

pp. 861-866 ◽

Cited By ~ 145

Author(s):

Stefano Ghirlanda ◽

Elisa Frasnelli ◽

Giorgio Vallortigara

Keyword(s):

Evolutionarily Stable Strategy ◽

Population Level ◽

Neural Circuitry ◽

Brain Lateralization ◽

Stable Strategy ◽

Cooperative Interactions ◽

Strategic Factors ◽

Left And Right ◽

Predator Interactions ◽

Evolutionarily Stable

Recent studies have revealed a variety of left–right asymmetries among vertebrates and invertebrates. In many species, left- and right-lateralized individuals coexist, but in unequal numbers (‘population-level’ lateralization). It has been argued that brain lateralization increases individual efficiency (e.g. avoiding unnecessary duplication of neural circuitry and reducing interference between functions), thus counteracting the ecological disadvantages of lateral biases in behaviour (making individual behaviour more predictable to other organisms). However, individual efficiency does not require a definite proportion of left- and right-lateralized individuals. Thus, such arguments do not explain population-level lateralization. We have previously shown that, in the context of prey–predator interactions, population-level lateralization can arise as an evolutionarily stable strategy when individually asymmetrical organisms must coordinate their behaviour with that of other asymmetrical organisms. Here, we extend our model showing that populations consisting of left- and right-lateralized individuals in unequal numbers can be evolutionarily stable, based solely on strategic factors arising from the balance between antagonistic (competitive) and synergistic (cooperative) interactions.

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Handedness found in a wild group of moor monkeys in the Karaenta Nature Reserve, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/czoolo/56.2.209 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 56 (2) ◽

pp. 209-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kunio Watanabe

Keyword(s):

Rhesus Monkeys ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

Sweet Corn ◽

Population Level ◽

Hand Preference ◽

Individual Level ◽

Left Handed ◽

South Sulawesi ◽

Wild Group ◽

Corn Grains

Abstract Hand preference of wild moor monkeys Macaca maurus was investigated in food reaching situations at the Karaenta Nature Reserve, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The frequency picking up sweet-corn grains to take into the mouth by either hand of monkeys was counted directly at the feeding ground where sweet-corn grains were scattered for monkeys. Among the 20 monkeys examined, 8 were right-handed, 8 were left-handed, and 4 were ambilateral. The results indicated the prevailed hand preference on individual level but not either trends of left- or right-hand preference on population level. The trend toward a higher proportion of left-handed monkeys found in Japanese and rhesus monkeys was not found. Some other characteristics found in moor monkeys are discussed in comparison with those previous findings in Japanese and Tibetan macaques in order to evaluate variations within the genus Macaca.

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The evolution and biological correlates of hand preferences in anthropoid primates

10.1101/2021.12.30.474462 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kai R Caspar ◽

Fabian Pallasdies ◽

Larissa Mader ◽

Heitor Sartorelli ◽

Sabine Begall

Keyword(s):

Brain Size ◽

Population Level ◽

Hand Preference ◽

Original Data ◽

Human Right ◽

Selective Pressures ◽

Phylogenetic Studies ◽

Preference Strength ◽

Anthropoid Primates ◽

Hand Preferences

The evolution of human right-handedness has been intensively debated for decades. Manual lateralization patterns in non-human primates have the potential to elucidate evolutionary determinants of human handedness. However, restricted species samples and inconsistent methodologies are limiting comparative phylogenetic studies. By combining original data with published literature reports, we assembled data on hand preferences for standardized object manipulation in 1,806 individuals from 38 species of anthropoid primates, including monkeys, apes, and humans. Based on that, we employ quantitative phylogenetic methods to test prevalent hypotheses on the roles of ecology, brain size and tool use in primate handedness evolution. We confirm that human right-handedness represents an unparalleled extreme among anthropoids and found taxa displaying significant population-level handedness to be notably rare. Species-level direction of manual lateralization was largely uniform among non-human primates and neither correlated with phylogeny nor with any of the selected biological predictors. In contrast, we recovered highly variable patterns of hand preference strength, which show signatures of both ecology and phylogeny. In particular, terrestrial primates tend to display weaker hand preferences than arboreal species. These results challenge popular ideas on primate handedness evolution, especially the postural origins hypothesis. Furthermore, they point to a potential adaptive benefit of disparate lateralization strength in primates, a measure of hand preference that has often been overlooked in the past. Finally, our data show that human lateralization patterns do not align with trends found among other anthropoids, suggesting that unique selective pressures gave rise to the unusual hand preferences displayed by our species.

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Issues of Hand Preference in Computer Presented Information and Virtual Realities

Digital Multimedia Perception and Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-860-4.ch011 ◽

2006 ◽

pp. 224-243

Author(s):

Adam Tilinger ◽

Cecilia Sik-Lanyi

Keyword(s):

Virtual Environment ◽

Hand Preference ◽

Environment Design ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Left Handed ◽

Virtual Realities ◽

Left And Right ◽

User Friendly ◽

Test Scenarios

This chapter presents the differences between left- and right-handed persons in the aspect of computer-presented information and virtual realities. It introduces five test scenarios and their results addressing this question. We showed that there are moderate differences between groups preferring different hands. The different needs of left- and right-handed people may play an important role in user-friendly interface and virtual environment design, since about a tenth of the population is left-handed. This could help to undo the difficulties that the left-handed and ambidextrous routinely encounter in their daily lives.

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Issues of Hand Preference in Computer Presented Information and Virtual Realities

Virtual Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-955-7.ch087 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 1411-1425

Author(s):

Adam Tilinger ◽

Cecilia Sik-Lanyi

Keyword(s):

Virtual Environment ◽

Hand Preference ◽

Environment Design ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Left Handed ◽

Virtual Realities ◽

Left And Right ◽

User Friendly ◽

Test Scenarios

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A model balancing cooperation and competition can explain our right-handed world and the dominance of left-handed athletes

Journal of The Royal Society Interface ◽

10.1098/rsif.2012.0211 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (75) ◽

pp. 2718-2722 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Daniel M. Abrams ◽

Mark J. Panaggio

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary Model ◽

Professional Sports ◽

Population Level ◽

Hand Preference ◽

Test Bed ◽

Cooperation And Competition ◽

Left Handed ◽

Social Species ◽

Quantitative Explanation ◽

Selection Of

An overwhelming majority of humans are right-handed. Numerous explanations for individual handedness have been proposed, but this population-level handedness remains puzzling. Here, we present a novel mathematical model and use it to test the idea that population-level hand preference represents a balance between selective costs and benefits arising from cooperation and competition in human evolutionary history. We use the selection of elite athletes as a test-bed for our evolutionary model and find evidence for the validity of this idea. Our model gives the first quantitative explanation for the distribution of handedness both across and within many professional sports. It also predicts strong lateralization of hand use in social species with limited combative interaction, and elucidates the absence of consistent population-level ‘pawedness’ in some animal species.

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Asymmetries of Manual Motor Response in Relation to Age, Sex, Handedness, and Occupational Activities

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1993.77.2.691 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 77 (2) ◽

pp. 691-700 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Olga Vasconcelos

Keyword(s):

Hand Preference ◽

Occupational Activity ◽

Manual Skill ◽

Left Handed ◽

Occupational Activities ◽

Motor Activities ◽

Left And Right ◽

And Performance ◽

Post Hoc ◽

Intellectual Activities

Questions about left- and right-hand asymmetries require the analysis of preference and manual skill with respect to handedness. Hand preference and hand skill were examined in relation to sex, age, and occupational activities. 512 adults from manual, mixed, and intellectual activities and 253 children were tested for their manual preferences and performance. Analysis of variance followed by Scheffé post hoc tests, for right-handed adults, indicated significant effects for occupational activity and sex in dexterity and strength. Manual workers, under technological pressure, seemed more consistent in their manual preferences than their peers. For left-handed persons there were no significant effects. Dexterity and strength were also related to sex and age, suggesting different cultural opportunities for both sexes in relation to motor activities.

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Comparison of Vestibular Function Between Right and Left Handed Normal Population

Journal of Nepalgunj Medical College ◽

10.3126/jngmc.v16i1.24223 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 28-31

Author(s):

Sharma Bhandari ◽

Sagun Shrestha ◽

R.K. Saxena

Keyword(s):

Normal Population ◽

Vestibular Function ◽

Hand Preference ◽

Normal Subjects ◽

Slow Phase ◽

Canal Paresis ◽

Slow Phase Velocity ◽

Left Handed ◽

Left And Right ◽

The Right

Objective To identify the side of vestibular dominance in right handed & left handed people. Method A total of 50 normal subjects, aged between 15 - 45 years were included as Left handers (n = 25) and Right handers (n = 25). Handedness was confirmed by the Annett Hand Preference Questionnaire. Bithermal caloric testing was done which was recorded by Electronystagmography (ENG). Maximum Slow Phase Velocity (MSPV) was taken as the parameter of choice. Directional Preponderance (DP) and Canal Paresis (CP) were calculated in each group. Results Out of the 25 Left handed subjects, 8 had DP towards Left whereas 7 had DP towards the Right and the remaining 10 showed no DP to any side (normal) (p<0.001). Out of the 25 Right handed subjects, 4 had DP towards Right and none had DP towards the Left, remaining 21 showed no DP to any side (normal) (p<0.001). For CP, out of 25 Left handed subjects, 2 showed CP towards the Left and 1 towards the Right, the remaining 22 showed no CP (normal) at all. Similarly out of the 25 Right handed subjects, 2 showed CP towards the Left and 1 towards the Right, the remaining 22 showed no CP (normal) at all. Out of 25 Right handers, it was found that Right handers showed Right vestibular preference whereas vestibular preference was almost equally distributed to Left and Right side in Left handers. Conclusion On considering DP, it was found that Right handers showed Right vestibular preference whereas vestibular preference was almost equally distributed toLeft and Right side in Left handers (p<0.001).

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RIGHT OR LEFT, HAND OR MOUTH: GENERA-SPECIFIC PREFERENCES IN MARMOSETS AND TAMARINS

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/156853999500703 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 136 (1) ◽

pp. 119-145 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Michael Schwibbe ◽

Silke Singer

Keyword(s):

Repeated Measures ◽

Sensory Modality ◽

Hand Preference ◽

Task Demands ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

Foraging Strategies ◽

Left Hand ◽

Food Items ◽

Right Hand ◽

Hand Preferences

Hand use was compared in 45 individuals of three genera of the Callitrichinae (Callithrix, Saguinus, Leontopithecus) which differ concerning their postural and manipulative behaviour. The Postural Origins theory of MacNeilage et al. (1987) predicts left-hand preference for visually guided reaching, especially when performed from a vertical clinging posture (as mainly seen in Callithrix) and right-hand preference for manipulative acts (as shown by Leontopithecus). Five tasks were carried out, differing in sensory modality (visual/tactile), postural requirements (vertical/quadrupedal) and task demands (accessibility to food-items). Data on successful left and right-hand reaching and mouth pick-ups were collected using all occurrences sampling. Statistical analysis comprised calculation of binominal z-score, application of unbalanced repeated measures models with structured covariance matrices and analysis of covariance. All individuals displayed hand preferences not influenced by task design. The genera differed in the hand preferred: Leontopithecus showed a greater proportion of right-hand preferences, whereas Callithrix tended to prefer the left hand. Saguinus was intermediate between these two genera. The results point out that genus-specific foraging strategies determine population-level hand preferences rather than task-specific demands. The differences in foraging strategy and hand preference among the three genera correspond to the Postural Origins theory (MacNeilage et al., 1987). When feeding on freely accessible, non-mobile food items, most individuals showed a clear preference in picking-up with the mouth or with one hand. Callithrix took objects predominantly with the mouth, Leontopithecus preferred the hand and Saguinus favoured neither mouth nor hand. Mouth-hand preferences can also be linked to genera differences on hand function in foraging behaviour.

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Maternal cradling bias drives early handedness in infant monkeys: A longitudinal study of grasping lateralization in baboons

10.1101/2021.03.09.434410 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Grégoire Boulinguez-Ambroise ◽

Emmanuelle Pouydebat ◽

Éloïse Disarbois ◽

Adrien Meguerditchian

Keyword(s):

Genetic Factors ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Population Level ◽

Hand Preference ◽

List Type ◽

Papio Anubis ◽

Left Handedness ◽

Previous Published Study ◽

Hand Preferences ◽

Side Bias

AbstractThe most emblematic behavioral manifestation of human brain asymmetries is handedness. While the precise mechanisms behind the development of handedness are still widely debated, empirical evidences highlight that besides genetic factors, environmental factors may play a crucial role. As one of these factors, maternal cradling behavior may play a key role in the emergence of early handedness in the offspring. In the present study we followed 41 olive baboon (Papio anubis) infants living in different social groups with their mother for which direction (e.g., left- or right-arm) and degree of maternal cradling-side bias were available from our previous published study. We assessed hand preferences for an unimanual grasping task at 3 developmental stages: (1) 0-4, (2) 4-6 and (3) 9-10 months of age. We found that individual hand preferences for grasping exist as soon as the first months of age, with a population-level left-handedness predominance, being stable until 6 months; to wit the period during which juveniles are mainly carried by their mothers. More importantly, this early postnatal handedness is positively correlated with maternal cradling lateralization. Interestingly, hand preferences assessed later in the development, once juveniles are no longer carried (i.e., from 9 to 10 months of age), are less consistent with the earlier developmental stages and no longer dependent from the maternal cradling bias. Our findings suggest that the ontogenetic dynamics of the infant’s hand preference and its changes might ultimately rely on the degree of infant dependence from the mother across development.Research HighlightsEarly postnatal individual hand preferences are detected for unimanual food grasping within the first four months of age.Earliest measures of infant hand preference are positively correlated with measures of maternal cradling lateralization.Hand preferences assessed later in the development, from 9 to 10 months of age are less consistent with the earlier developmental stages and independent from maternal cradling bias.

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