Compound measure of hand-foot-eye preference masked opposite turning behavior in healthy right-handers and non-right-handers: technical comment on Mohr et al. (2003)

Abstract

A previous article reported opposite turning behavior in right-handers and non-right-handers (C. Mohr. T. Landis, H. S. Bracha, & P. Brugger, 2003). This observation appears contradictory to the 1st study on long-term spontaneous turning behavior in healthy participants (H. S. Bracha, D. J. Seitz, J. Otemaa, & S. D. Click, 1987). These latter authors found a complex interaction between hemispheric dominance, preferred turning side, and sex. C. Mohr et al. (2003) argued that the differentiation of the population in hemisphere-dominant groups by a compound measure of hand-foot-eye preference might have masked their recent finding. Thus, this commentary presents a reanalysis of the original data set (H. S. Bracha et al., 1987). Replicating recent observation, right-handers preferred left-sided turns; and non-righthanders, right-sided turns. This replication strengthens the proposition that handedness and turning behavior might depend on interhemispheric dopamine asymmetries.