Primate handedness reconsidered

MacNeilage, Peter F.; Studdert‐Kennedy, Michael; Lindblom, Björn

doi:10.1017/s0140525x00047695

Cited by 652 publications

(478 citation statements)

References 162 publications

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“…In humans, the consistent population preference given to the right hand represents a remarkable species characteristic which ®nds only weak antecedents in subhuman primates [28]. However, in the normal skilled use of the hands the right hand preference tends to be part of a role specialization of the two hands where consistent tasks are assigned to the right and left hands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

fMRI study of bimanual coordination

et al. 2000

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Eleven right-handed subjects performed uni-and bimanual tapping tasks. Hemodynamic responses as measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the primary somato-motor cortex (SMC) showed that during bimanual activity the SMC contralateral to the hand taking the faster rate was more strongly activated than the SMC contralateral to hand taking the slower rate. There were no asymmetries; left SMC activation during the right fast/left slow tapping condition was comparable to the right SMC activation during the left fast/right slow condition. A given SMC showed similar activation levels for bimanual and unimanual activity (i.e. left SMC activation for right fast/left slow was similar to left SMC activation for the right fast unimanual condition). In contrast, a given supplementary motor area (SMA) showed signi®cantly more activation for the bimanual than for the unimanual activity. In addition, an asymmetry was observed during bimanual activities: during the right fast/left slow activity, the left SMA showed more activation than the right SMA, but during the left fast/right slow activity, the right SMA was not signi®cantly more activated than the left SMA. For unimanual activities, a clear rate e ect (greater activation for faster rate) was seen in the SMC but not in the SMA. #

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

fMRI study of bimanual coordination

et al. 2000

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“…There is a growing body of evidence indicating the presence of population-level hand preference in nonhuman primates (Bradshaw & Rogers, 1993;Fagot & Vauclair, 1991;Hopkins, 1996;MacNeilage, Studdert-Kennedy, & Lindblom, 1987;Ward & Hopkins, 1993). Population-level hand preference is inferred when a significant proportion of subjects within a sample exhibit the same directional hand preferences for one or more specific tasks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Manual Specialisation and Tool Use in Captive Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ): The Effect of Unimanual and Bimanual Strategies on Hand Preference

Hopkins¹,

Rabinowitz²

1997

Laterality

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Hand preference for tool use was assessed in a sample of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Whether the subjects solved the tool task using either a unimanual or coordinated bimanual strategy was manipulated in the chimpanzees. No population-level hand preference was found for tool use when unimanual strategies were used by the chimpanzees. However, a population-level right-hand bias was found when coordinated bimanual actions were required of the chimpanzees. A significant correlation was found in hand use for the two hand preference testing conditions. Neither sex nor rearing was found to significantly affect the direction or strength in hand preference. These results may explain discrepancies in hand preference reported in captive and wild chimpanzees with regard to tool use and other manual activities.

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“…Despite numerous studies in a variety of nonhuman primate species, there is little evidence that it induces population-level handedness. However, recent studies suggested that posture can influence the expression of directional biases in hand use for simple reaching (Fagot and Vauclair, 1991;MacNeilage et al, 1987;Westergaard et al, 1998). In prosimians, preferential use of the left hand is increased when they adopt an upright versus a tripedal posture .…”

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confidence: 99%

Simple Reaching Is Not So Simple: Association Between Hand Use and Grip Preferences in Captive Chimpanzees

Hopkins

Russell²,

Hook

et al. 2005

Int J Primatol

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We assessed the relationship between grip preference and hand use in chimpanzees in 2 experiments. In experiment 1, we evaluated consistency in hand use and grip preference across 4 food types. The chimpanzees showed population-level right-handedness and there are significant positive associations for both hand and grip use across food types. In experiment 2, we assessed validity of hand use in relation to grip preference in 2 colonies of chimpanzees via the same methodology. Differences in hand preferences between colonies were associated with variation in the observed grip preferences. There was no evidence of rearing effects on handedness in either colony. We discuss the overall results in the context of the evolution of handedness in relation to increasing motor demands as manifest in variation on grasping behavior. KeywordsChimpanzee; hand preference; grip preference There has been considerable historical (Ettlinger, 1988;Fagot and Vauclair, 1991;Marchant and McGrew, 1991;Warren, 1980) and contemporary (Corballis, 1992, in press; Hopkins and Cantalupo, in press;McGrew and Marchant, 1997;Palmer, 2002) debate regarding the presence or absence of population-level hand preferences in nonhuman primates and the factors that influence the expression of handedness in nonhumans. The question of whether nonhuman primates express population-level asymmetries is of considerable theoretical interest because of the alleged role of hemispheric specialization in the evolution of complex human behavior including tool-use, bipedalism and language (Bradshaw and Rogers, 1993). In the absence of a clear transition from no handedness to handedness throughout the evolutionary continuum, we can only postulate how handedness and hemispheric specialization evolved. Further understanding of factors that influence the expression of handedness in nonhuman primates is important to evaluate various models of the evolution of hemispheric specialization in primates.6To whom correspondence should be addressed to William D. Hopkins, Division of Psychobiology, Living Links Center, Yerkes Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322; e-mail: Ircbh@rmy.emory.edu.. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptInt J Primatol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2007 December 27. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptThe most commonly used measure of hand preference in nonhuman primates is simple reaching (Lehman, 1993). Despite numerous studies in a variety of nonhuman primate species, there is little evidence that it induces population-level handedness. However, recent studies suggested that posture can influence the expression of directional biases in hand use for simple reaching (Fagot and Vauclair, 1991;MacNeilage et al., 1987;Westergaard et al., 1998). In prosimians, preferential use of the left hand is increased when they adopt an upright versus a tripedal posture . This is also the case in some New and Old World monkeys and lesser apes (Hook-Costigan and Rogers, 1997;Olson et al., 1990). H...

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Primate handedness reconsidered

Cited by 652 publications

References 162 publications

fMRI study of bimanual coordination

fMRI study of bimanual coordination

Manual Specialisation and Tool Use in Captive Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ): The Effect of Unimanual and Bimanual Strategies on Hand Preference

Simple Reaching Is Not So Simple: Association Between Hand Use and Grip Preferences in Captive Chimpanzees

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