The Relation Between Hand Preference and Hand Performance: What You Get Depends on What You Measure

Abstract

In the present investigation, we addressed the relation between manual preference and performance. A total of 52 right-handers and 48 left-handers were tested for manual proficiency and preferences using a range of tasks. Self-professed right-and left-handers showed greater preference for, and superior performance with, the preferred hand. Left-handers use their nonpreferred hand more often and in some instances are more skilled with it than right-handers. There was a subgroup of persons with mixed handedness, who identified themselves as left-handed, wrote with the left hand, and were more skilled with the left hand on dot-filling, but who were otherwise right-handed. Overall, the data indicated that a complete description of handedness will only be provided by careful consideration of the nature of the preference and performance measures one uses.