Cultural influences on handedness: Historical and contemporary theory and evidence.

摘要: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the cultural influences on handedness. Right-handers comprise vast majority of adult population. Judging from depictions hand use in works art and analysis design weapons, tools, other historical artifacts, they also would seem to have been norm since prehistoric time. Handedness represents end-product a long multifaceted biosocial process. The environmental role can be studied number ways. One way is through direct observation development context social environment. Direct observations might reveal whether parents are encouraging this preference by their own actions. Observations could made at preschool school-age periods every situation throughout life span. Older children adults asked directly has encouraged or discouraged, with what result, inquiries teachers school administrators as policies practices. Cross-cultural surveys prevalence left-handedness offer another measure role. reason that, although all cultures designed for right-hander, rules applied more liberally, flexibly, some than others.