Behavioral asymmetries of psychomotor performance in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): a dissociation between hand preference and skill.

W. D. Hopkins, D. A. Washburn, L. Berke, M. Williams

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hand preferences were recorded for 35 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) as they manipulated a joystick in response to 2 computerized tasks. These preferences were then used to contrast 8 left- and 10 right-handed subjects on performance measures of hand skill. Individual hand preferences were found, but no significant population asymmetry was observed across the sample. However, the performance data reveal substantial benefits of right-handedness for joystick manipulation, as this group of monkeys mastered the 2 psychomotor tasks significantly faster than did their left-handed counterparts. The data support earlier reports of a right-hand advantage for joystick manipulation and also support the importance of distinguishing between hand preference and manual performance in research on functional asymmetries.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)392-397
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)
Volume106
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1992
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Psychology (miscellaneous)

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