Tactile discrimination of direction of lines in relation to hemispheric specialization

The role of the right hemisphere in a task of haptic discrimination of line orientation was studied in 16 children aged 7.6 and 16 adults aged 25 yr. The exploratory movements were limited to hand and wrist, since it has been shown that distal movements are mediated by the contralateral hemisphere. A comparison of the performance of the two hands shows a clear superiority of the left hand and inferred right hemisphere in both children and adults. An special emphasis in the discussion is given to the role of the experimental procedure in enhancing the effect of the hemispheric functional asymmetries.