The distribution and development of handedness for manual gestures in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

William D. Hopkins; Jamie Russell; Hani Freeman; Nicole Buehler; Elizabeth Reynolds; Steven J. Schapiro

The distribution and development of handedness for manual gestures in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

William D. Hopkins, Jamie Russell, Hani Freeman, Nicole Buehler, Elizabeth Reynolds, Steven J. Schapiro

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This article describes the distribution and development of handedness for manual gestures in captive chimpanzees. Data on handedness for unimanual gestures were collected in a sample of 227 captive chimpanzees. Handedness for these gestures was compared with handedness for three other measures of hand use: tool use, reaching, and coordinated bimanual actions. Chimpanzees were significantly more right-handed for gestures than for all other measures of hand use. Hand use for simple reaching at 3 to 4 years of age predicted hand use for gestures 10 years later. Use of the right hand for gestures was significantly higher when gestures were accompanied by a vocalization than when they were not. The collective results suggest that left-hemisphere specialization for language may have evolved initially from asymmetries in manual gestures in the common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans, rather than from hand use associated with other, noncommunicative motor actions, including tool use and coordinated bimanual actions, as has been previously suggested in the literature.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	487-493
Number of pages	7
Journal	Psychological Science
Volume	16
Issue number	6
State	Published - 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Psychology

Cite this

@article{be87603527034ab69a049cca57c60e6c,

title = "The distribution and development of handedness for manual gestures in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)",

abstract = "This article describes the distribution and development of handedness for manual gestures in captive chimpanzees. Data on handedness for unimanual gestures were collected in a sample of 227 captive chimpanzees. Handedness for these gestures was compared with handedness for three other measures of hand use: tool use, reaching, and coordinated bimanual actions. Chimpanzees were significantly more right-handed for gestures than for all other measures of hand use. Hand use for simple reaching at 3 to 4 years of age predicted hand use for gestures 10 years later. Use of the right hand for gestures was significantly higher when gestures were accompanied by a vocalization than when they were not. The collective results suggest that left-hemisphere specialization for language may have evolved initially from asymmetries in manual gestures in the common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans, rather than from hand use associated with other, noncommunicative motor actions, including tool use and coordinated bimanual actions, as has been previously suggested in the literature.",

author = "Hopkins, {William D.} and Jamie Russell and Hani Freeman and Nicole Buehler and Elizabeth Reynolds and Schapiro, {Steven J.}",

note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants NS-36605, NS-42867, NS-29574, U42-RR-15090, and RR-00165 to the Yerkes National Primate Research Center or The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC). The Yerkes Center and the UTMDACC Department of Veterinary Sciences are fully accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. American Psychological Association guidelines for the ethical treatment of animals were adhered to during all aspects of this study.",

year = "2005",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "16",

pages = "487--493",

journal = "Psychological Science",

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AU - Hopkins, William D.

AU - Russell, Jamie

AU - Freeman, Hani

AU - Buehler, Nicole

AU - Reynolds, Elizabeth

AU - Schapiro, Steven J.

N1 - Funding Information: This research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants NS-36605, NS-42867, NS-29574, U42-RR-15090, and RR-00165 to the Yerkes National Primate Research Center or The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC). The Yerkes Center and the UTMDACC Department of Veterinary Sciences are fully accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. American Psychological Association guidelines for the ethical treatment of animals were adhered to during all aspects of this study.

PY - 2005

Y1 - 2005

N2 - This article describes the distribution and development of handedness for manual gestures in captive chimpanzees. Data on handedness for unimanual gestures were collected in a sample of 227 captive chimpanzees. Handedness for these gestures was compared with handedness for three other measures of hand use: tool use, reaching, and coordinated bimanual actions. Chimpanzees were significantly more right-handed for gestures than for all other measures of hand use. Hand use for simple reaching at 3 to 4 years of age predicted hand use for gestures 10 years later. Use of the right hand for gestures was significantly higher when gestures were accompanied by a vocalization than when they were not. The collective results suggest that left-hemisphere specialization for language may have evolved initially from asymmetries in manual gestures in the common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans, rather than from hand use associated with other, noncommunicative motor actions, including tool use and coordinated bimanual actions, as has been previously suggested in the literature.

AB - This article describes the distribution and development of handedness for manual gestures in captive chimpanzees. Data on handedness for unimanual gestures were collected in a sample of 227 captive chimpanzees. Handedness for these gestures was compared with handedness for three other measures of hand use: tool use, reaching, and coordinated bimanual actions. Chimpanzees were significantly more right-handed for gestures than for all other measures of hand use. Hand use for simple reaching at 3 to 4 years of age predicted hand use for gestures 10 years later. Use of the right hand for gestures was significantly higher when gestures were accompanied by a vocalization than when they were not. The collective results suggest that left-hemisphere specialization for language may have evolved initially from asymmetries in manual gestures in the common ancestor of chimpanzees and humans, rather than from hand use associated with other, noncommunicative motor actions, including tool use and coordinated bimanual actions, as has been previously suggested in the literature.

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The distribution and development of handedness for manual gestures in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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