Abstract
The development by Coren (1993) of the Lateral Preference Inventory is an important advance for research on handedness, footedness, eyedness, and earedness. However, there are some problems in the assessment of handedness. Left-handed people live in a right-handed world and thus are deviant, relative to the majority. According to deviance theory (Eisenman, 1991), left-handed people are subject to all kinds of socially induced problems. Thus, many left-handed people will be forced, in one way or another, to use the nonpreferred right hand for a variety of tasks. Asking what hand they use may make them appear to be right-handed. Other issues are discussed, including the fact that I consider myself left-handed, yet would score right-handed on three of the four Coren (1993) handedness items.
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References
Coren, S. (1993). The lateral preference inventory for the measurement of handedness, footedness, eyedness, and earedness: Norms for young adults. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 31, 1–3.
Eisenman, R. (1991). From crime to creativity: Psychological and social factors in deviance. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
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Eisenman, R. Some problems in the assessment of handedness: Comment on Coren (1993). Bull. Psychon. Soc. 31, 285–286 (1993). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334930
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334930