Psychology 110, 10:00 a.m.

October 10,1999

Handedness Project

The two halves of the human brain, are quite different although they appear to be very similar. Each half, or cerebral hemisphere, is responsible for different tasks very specific to each hemisphere. Left brain functions include number skills, performing learned manual activities, specialization in the written and spoken language, reasoning, memory sequence, scientific comprehension and right hand control. The right hemisphere is generally thought of as the more creative side. It's strengths are insight, 3-D forms, art and music awareness, seeing how elements fit together as a whole, imagination and left hand control (Encarta, 1999). Studying the lateralization of the brain, we can determine which hemisphere of our brain controls certain activities. Generally the right hemisphere controls the left hand and vice versa, but is it possible that people use both hands not only because of lateralization, but also family and teachers? It seems that sporting equipment and examples of how to do physically things are almost always right handed. A huge majority of the population is right handed, so that makes sense, but maybe people do things exactly the way they were taught. Even if it was harder at first to use a different hand, it made more sense just to copy exactly. Right handed people are left brain dominant and left handed people are right brain dominant. Although people have dominant hands and brain hemispheres, that doesn't mean that all of that activity occurs on strictly one side of the brain. In fact, left handed people are more likely to have hemispheres that can perform either right or left hemisphere functions (Grimshaw et al., 1 995a). Both lateralization and handedness are determined by sexual hormones in the womb (Grimshaw et al., 1 995a).

Our hypothesis is that since left handed people tend to have the right hemisphere dominant, they will tend to have more creativity. Most of the creative responsibilities are found in the right side of the brain Such as imagination and art or music awareness.

After closely watching several activities designed to measure creativity performed and questions about handedness answered we will see that left handed people are more creative. Creativity is defined as a basic element in many human endeavors, such as music, art, literature, and performance. It is the capacity to have new thoughts and to create expressions unlike any other (Encarta, 1999).

To measure creativity we will conduct a survey of 100 random people asking about the dominance of a particular hand. We have an established scale that we'll use to measure the creativity involved in their job performance. We didn't find a connection between left handedness and more creative jobs. It has to be asked why these people have the jobs they do. Is it something they were forced into? Is it the only job they could get?

There is a test we will use that asks the participants to memorize a number sequence. This test should show that some people have an easier time, our

hypothesis is that these will be the right handed people because in general the left brain is responsible for memory sequences.

Another task involves moving matches into a desired position. It requires insight and good 3-D perception, according to our hypothesis the left handed people will find this exercise easier. Four out of the first five subjects were unable to perform the task. The man who did is a right handed engineer. Is it possible that even though he is right handed, he is right hemisphere dominant? Is he an exception to the rule? Is it possible that the skills that it takes to do the match test are skills he has learned at work?

For another test, a series of shapes are given and the subject is asked to make simple pictures using only these shapes. This takes imagination and seeing how the parts of the picture will come together, right brain strengths. This task involves divergent thinking, or exploring concepts thought to be unrelated to see if a solution could be found. A process that can facilitate creativity.

Another test asks the subject to start with a circle and to add whatever necessary to make as many new pictures as possible. Again, this takes imagination.

To test a person's music awareness, we will play a single note and see if they can identify it.

To measure the specialization of the language, we will ask the subjects to write a four word sentence, each letter beginning with a specific letter. L-l-N-k.

A manual learned activity, such as typing will be recorded for data just by asking people how many words per minute they are able to type. We now know that manual tasks don't require creative thinking, so with this test we will see how fast left handed people can type.

To analyze this data, we will record our information in charts and compare what we have gathered to what the book says about hand dominance. We have asked 100 people about their career and put them into our chart of creativeness. We were hoping to see that left handed people had careers that involved more creativity. We established a scale that has five levels of creativity and in no level was there an overwhelming dominance of a particular hand. For example, in the level that involved the most creativity, there was not a huge majority of left handedness.

1) How would you draw a line of creativity to determine whether someone is or isn't?

2) Is creativity more prevalent in one specific sex?

3) What is the real definition of handedness? Does it depend on which hand you write with, or is it which hand you prefer to use regardless of performance?

4) Do you say you are "left handed" because you can perform faster or more precisely with the hand you use for daily tasks?

5) Which brain hemisphere is dominant in someone who is ambidextrous?

6) Can one half of the brain perform tasks that are normally done by the other side?

7) Is handedness inherited?

8) Is creativity something you can learn as you grow? Is handedness also a learned task?

9) What is this information useful for?

10) In what cultures is handedness important enough to be taught. What do these cultures say is wrong with using a particular hand. Where did this start?

11) Do you use only your left hand?

12) How do we determine what someone is born With and what's been pushed into them? Does someone know what note is played because they are right brain dominant or because they've taken piano lessons for years?

13) Do creative thoughts come to everyone but right brain dominant people verbalize their ideas better?