Sinistrality revisited: a perceptual-motor approach.

Abstract

This study reports the relation between perceptual-motor functioning and hand-eye dominance on 237 female and 216 male Negro 48-month-old Ss. Performances of Ss falling into five hand-eye-dominance categories were compared on two perceptual-motor tasks and Stanford-Binet IQ. Results showed that left-hand-left-eye-dominant Ss gave significantly poorer performances on perceptual-motor and intellectual measures than all other hand-eye-dominant Ss except left-hand-right-eye-dominant Ss. There were no significant differences among comparisons of other hand-eye-dominance groups on these measures. Since the present investigation represents a relatively new approach to sinistrality, there is no direct empirical evidence for comparison; however, support was obtained for a previous study finding left-hand-left-eye-dominant Ss deficient in intellectual functioning. Although expressions of hand-eye dominance appear to be under neurological control, the underlying mechanism seems obscure. A neurological frame of reference is proposed, and further research on etiological factors is suggested.