by New research conducted by the University of York and University College London has found that left-handedness is not associated with better spatial skills. The debate about the connection between handedness and spatial abilities has been ongoing for many years, but this study provides clarity on the matter.
In order to gather data on this topic, researchers asked participants to download and play a video game that tracked navigational challenges and collected user information. The study included over 420,000 participants from 41 different countries, allowing for a diverse range of demographic data.
The results revealed that left-handers were neither better nor worse than right-handers at the tasks, putting an end to the speculation surrounding the relationship between handedness and spatial skills.
The human brain consists of two hemispheres that control opposite sides of the body. In right-handers, the left hemisphere controls the dominant right hand, while in left-handers, the situation is reversed. Many cognitive abilities are dominated by one hemisphere, and right and left handers also demonstrate different patterns of lateralization.
Spatial cognition, which refers to the ability to perceive and navigate the physical environment, is a key set of brain-based skills. However, it is not clearly dominated by either hemisphere, leading scientists to question its link to handedness.
Previous studies have suggested that left-handers might have an advantage in navigating virtual and real games, and left-handed athletes are over-represented in professional sports that require rapid and accurate responses. However, researching this topic has been challenging due to variations in handedness prevalence across cultures and the need for a large number of participants.
The researchers overcame these challenges by using a video game called Sea Hero Quest. Participants downloaded and played the game, which measures spatial navigational ability and was originally designed to contribute to dementia research. The game requires players to navigate a boat towards specific goal locations on a map.
The results of the study showed no reliable evidence for any difference in spatial ability between left and right handers across all countries. The large sample size allowed researchers to confirm that factors such as age, gender, and education did not influence the relationship between hand preference and spatial ability.
Dr. Pablo Fernandez-Velasco, a researcher at the Department of Philosophy at the University of York and the co-lead of the study, stated that recruiting participants through a video game provided a new approach and enabled the standardization of the test across a large sample. He also mentioned the possibility of future research exploring differences in navigation styles or preferences for different types of environments based on handedness.
This study adds to our understanding of cognitive abilities and emphasizes that large-scale spatial skills are not affected by whether an individual is left or right-handed. Further research may shed light on other aspects related to handedness and spatial abilities in the future.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
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