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Do left hand reaction time advantages depend on localising unpredictable targets?
Leah T Johnstone1, David P Carey2
1Cognition Action Perception Research Group, School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
Experimental Brain Research
|August 24, 2016
Summary
The non-dominant left hand shows faster reaction times (RTs) in right-handed individuals. This advantage is linked to sustained attention lateralization in the right cerebral hemisphere, not motor planning.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Motor Control
Background:
- Hand movement asymmetries are often linked to cerebral hemisphere functions.
- Right-handed individuals typically exhibit shorter reaction times (RTs) with their non-dominant left hand.
- Previous research on the cause of this left-hand RT advantage, particularly concerning "premotor" processes, yielded conflicting results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-examine the cause of the left-hand reaction time advantage using a task with enhanced visuospatial demands.
- To differentiate between motor planning and attentional contributions to hand movement asymmetries.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed a reaching task with varying levels of visuospatial complexity across three conditions.
- Reaction times (RTs), movement durations, and peak velocities were measured for both hands.
Main Results:
- Reaction times increased with movement complexity, but the left-hand RT advantage persisted across all conditions.
- No significant interaction was found between hand and task condition.
- No significant differences in movement duration or peak velocity were observed between the hands.
Conclusions:
- The left-hand RT advantage is not attributable to right-hemisphere motor planning specializations.
- The findings support the hypothesis that sustained attention or vigilance lateralization to the right cerebral hemisphere underlies the left-hand RT advantage.
