Abstract
Not too long ago, it was commonly assumed that cerebral functional asymmetry was a uniquely human characteristic. Today, however, many researchers in the field are coming to believe that it may well be a fundamental feature of mammalian and perhaps of all vertebrate brains. This new view has been spurred by demonstrations of lateralization on perceptual and motor tasks in a variety of species, including birds, rodents, cats, monkeys, and great apes (see Andrew, 1983; Corballis, 1983; Denenberg, 1981, 1983; Glick, 1985; Nottebohm, 1977; Rogers & Anson, 1979; Walker, 1980). It also has raised a great deal of interest in the question of whether animals show lateralization in limb use in a way that approximates human handedness. Again, a variety of species have been studied, but apes and monkeys have received special attention because of their biologically close relationship to man as well as their human-like hands and great dexterity. On this issue the picture is far less clear. Although there is broad agreement that individual animals may show reliable hand preference, the question of whether handedness is a species characteristic remains controversial (e.g., see MacNeilage, Studdert-Kennedy, & Lindblom, 1987, and commentaries). Some of the controversy will perhaps be resolved by the new research reports in the current volume.
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Harris, L.J. (1993). Handedness in Apes and Monkeys: Some Views From the Past. In: Ward, J.P., Hopkins, W.D. (eds) Primate Laterality. Recent Research in Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4370-0_1
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