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Hand and paw preferences in relation to the lateralized brain
1Centre for Neuroscience and Animal Behaviour, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia. lrogers@une.edu.au
Summary
Primates exhibit population-level hand preferences when tasks require specialized brain hemisphere use, not just complexity. Individual preferences link to hemisphere-controlled behaviors like fear or proactivity.
Area of Science:
- Comparative Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Primatology
Background:
- Brain lateralization and handedness are observed across animal species, including primates and non-primates.
- Previous research suggested primates show species-typical hand preferences on complex tasks, particularly tool use.
- Handedness in animals is often studied in relation to brain lateralization and hemispheric specialization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose that population-level hand preferences in primates emerge when tasks necessitate obligate hemispheric specialization.
- To investigate the role of task nature, rather than complexity, in manifesting hand preferences.
- To explore the link between individual hand preference and contralateral hemispheric control of behavior.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing literature on primate and non-primate hand/paw preferences.
- Analysis of task demands in relation to hemispheric specialization.
- Comparison of behavioral differences associated with individual hand preferences.
Main Results:
- Population-level hand preferences are linked to tasks requiring obligate hemispheric processing, irrespective of complexity.
- Simple reaching tasks may not mandate specialized hemisphere use, allowing for individual behavioral variations.
- Individual hand preferences correlate with contralateral hemispheric functions (e.g., left-handers: fear/reactivity; right-handers: proactivity).
Conclusions:
- Task-specific hemispheric demands, not task complexity, drive population-level hand preferences in primates.
- Individual handedness reflects distinct behavioral patterns controlled by the contralateral brain hemisphere.
- Emerging evidence of structural brain differences in handed primates may offer insights into evolutionary advancements.
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