Footedness is a better predictor than is handedness of emotional lateralization

A tremendous amount of experimental work has attempted to identify reliable behavioural predictors of cerebral lateralization. Preferred handedness has been the most popular predictor, but some recent reports suggest that preferred footedness may serve as a more accurate predictor of functional laterality, especially in the left-handed population. The present study sought to test this claim by selectively recruiting individuals with either 'crossed' lateral preferences (right-handed and left-footed or left-handed and right-footed) or 'uncrossed' lateral preferences (right-handed and right-footed or left-handed and left-footed). Lateralization of emotional perception was assessed with two blocks of the dichotic Emotional Words Test (EWT), and lateral preference for both handedness and footedness was assessed using self-report questionnaires. Ear advantage on the dichotic task varied significantly with preferred foot (P=0.003), but not with preferred hand. Cerebral lateralization may be more related to footedness than to other lateral preferences.