fransvo@htsa.uucp (Frans van Otten) (01/25/89)
Inspired by the current discussion on left/right brain halves, I wonder
about left handed people:
Most people are right-handed. This means that their left brain part is
dominant over the right brain part. But what is different with left-
handed people ? Is it only that the right brain part is dominant over
the left brain part ? What would this mean for total brain operation ?
(I read in an article in this newsgroup about a man whose left and right
brain parts were no longer connected; the left part wanted to become
a draftsman, the right part wanted to race cars. The writer assumed that
if the connections between the brain-parts would have been intact, the
answer (of the total brain) would have been 'draftsman').
Or is everything swapped (functions normally performed by the right part
are performed by the left part, and vice versa) ?
Considering this, what should we think of forcing left-handed people to
write with their right hand ? (I believe this is mainly in the past, now).
--
Frans van Otten
Algemene Hogeschool Amsterdam
Technische en Maritieme Faculteit
fransvo@htsa.uucpefrethei@afit-ab.arpa (Erik J. Fretheim) (01/26/89)
In article <725@htsa.uucp> fransvo@htsa.uucp (Frans van Otten) writes: >Inspired by the current discussion on left/right brain halves, I wonder >about left handed people: > >Most people are right-handed. This means that their left brain part is >dominant over the right brain part. But what is different with left- >handed people ? Is it only that the right brain part is dominant over >the left brain part ? What would this mean for total brain operation ? I recently read the book "Cerebral Lateralization" by Geschwind and Galaburda. This book is a must for anyone interested in this area. Although I do not agree with all of their conclusions they present a lot of interesting material and ask a lot of probing questions. There basic line is that there is no hard fast lefthandedness or righthandedness only variing degrees. Handedness is only one facet of abnormal patterns of lateralization within the brain. Take for example hearing. To which ear do you place the telephone receiver. How often do you need to switch it to the other ear to write, or scrunch your shoulder to hold it while you write. Wouldn't it be easier to just answer with your non-writing hand like some people do? There are many other ways in which people demonstrate sidedness. The authors also discus possible causes for changes in side dominance. Although, I think they may dwell a little to long on sex hormones, but then everyone has his/her/its hangups. After all, I once had an English teacher who was convince that all literature was sexual release. At least it made the class interesting. (and the tests easy - all you had to do was write about sex to get a good grade). ejf
jinli@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Jin Li) (01/26/89)
In article <725@htsa.uucp> fransvo@htsa.uucp (Frans van Otten) writes: >...what should we think of forcing left-handed people to >write with their right hand ? (I believe this is mainly in the past, now). S/he will become ambidextrous. :-) -- Jin Li >> Gin & Tonic mix well University of Toronto Computing Services << No bugs, no bucks jinli@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca uunet!utgpu!jinli>> ls is a typo
cam@edai.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm) (01/27/89)
In article <725@htsa.uucp> fransvo@htsa.uucp (Frans van Otten) writes: >Considering this, what should we think of forcing left-handed people to >write with their right hand ? (I believe this is mainly in the past, now). >-- > Frans van Otten > Algemene Hogeschool Amsterdam > Technische en Maritieme Faculteit > fransvo@htsa.uucp I am a naturally right-handed person who was forced at school to write with my left hand. I started out right-handed, and developed a poisoned thumb (age 6ish, 18 months into writing skills). ME: Please miss I can't write, see my bandaged hand. TEACHER: I'm not having anybody lazing around doing nothing in my class. You can write with your left hand. ME: But miss I can't write with my left hand, I'm right-handed. TEACHER: Two years ago you couldn't write with your right hand either. Now you can start learning to write with your left. Now! Let me see you picking up your pencil! In your LEFT hand you fool! Well, I learned to write with my left hand. Then the poisoned thumb got better and the bandages came off. It so happened that by this time I could write a little better than with my right hand, so I stayed using my left. One day the teacher noticed. TEACHER: I see your right hand is better now. You'd better stop using your left hand, it's not the proper hand for writing with, and you are right handed. ME:(quietly to myself): You made me change from right to left which was **** difficult and I'm ****ed if I'm going to change back again just for you, you **** **** old **** of a ****, so there! As a consequence I write with my left hand, paint mostly with my left but sometimes with my right, and do everything else normally with my right hand. No problem. There's more. At the age of 18 my English teacher threatened not to let me sit my examinations on the grounds that my handwriting was illegible. Trying to improve proved very difficult, and I decided that joined-up-writing was a mistake if legibility and high speed were required. I devised and taught myself a simple printing script with maximum letter differences under deformation. I changed writing styles when I proved able to write both at the same speed. Naturally my signature changed as well. Yet even today, over 20 years later, if I sign my name with my toe in the sand (something I do very very rarely), whichever foot I use, I naturally without thinking use the old school form of my signature which I haven't used with my hand for over 20 years. This may be related to the fact that when I started to wear spectacles for myopia I still had myopic dreams for the next ten years, even if I went to sleep wearing my spectacles. I recall many years ago (reference forgotten) in a book on handedness the suggestion that an unusually large proportion of satirical writers were left-handed, along with the speculation that this might have something to do with having linguistic skills in both hemispheres. Yes, this was a long long time ago, back in the fearful days when they taught grammar and clause analysis to little children - but don't underestimate what some teachers will get up to in the privacy of the classroom even today! Chris Malcolm Department of Artificial Intelligence
schraudo@beowulf.ucsd.edu (Nici Schraudolph) (01/31/89)
In article <725@htsa.uucp> fransvo@htsa.uucp (Frans van Otten) writes: >Considering this, what should we think of forcing left-handed people to >write with their right hand ? (I believe this is mainly in the past, now). Well, it happened to me, and I am only 22. Although I never noticed anything of the emotional problems such treatment is supposed to cause, my handwriting sure is, er, highly individual (aren't you glad this is typed! :-) On to a different question: In article <259@edai.ed.ac.uk> cam@edai (Chris Malcolm) writes: >I recall many years ago (reference forgotten) in a book on handedness >the suggestion that an unusually large proportion of satirical writers >were left-handed, along with the speculation that this might have >something to do with having linguistic skills in both hemispheres. There are numerous stories I've heard of "statistical evidence" about the unusually high number of left-handed people in arts, higher education, academia, and what else. This "superiority theory", with some neurological speculation thrown in for good measure, seems to be rather popular among the left-handed community (I kind of like it myself :-) The question is: does anybody out there have HARD statistical or neurological facts on this, or appropriate references? Is it true or is it hype? Please mail such material to me (do NOT post - this is not much of an AI topic), and I'll post a summary. "Language is a Virus from Outer Space" - William S. Burroughs ##################################################################### # Nici Schraudolph nschraudolph@ucsd.edu # # University of California, San Diego ...!ucsd!nschraudolph # ##################################################################### Disclaimer: U.C. Regents and me share no common opinions whatsoever.
fargo@pawl.rpi.edu (Ethan M. Young) (02/01/89)
Just as a small question from a novice here:
What about people who are ambidextrous? :)
Seriously, though, what kind of behavior patterns have been observed in ambi-
dextrous people? I myself show a tendency to be ambidextrous. I may write
with my right hand, but some people have remarked as to why I use my left
hand for certain tasks which normally should be done right-handed. (Not a
bias, just the fact that they see me write right-handed, and then, say, saw
me cut a 2x4 with my left hand)
If this should be moved to sci.psychology, I will comply. But please don't
flame me as I'm still relatively new to Usenet.
Thank you and happy hunting! Internet: fargo@pawl.rpi.edu
____ [> SB <] fargo@{paraguay|uruguay}.acm.rpi.edu
/__ -=>??<=- Bitnet (??): usergac0@rpitsmts.bitnet
/ ARGO : 3000 years of regression from the year 4990paulb@ttidca.TTI.COM (Paul Blumstein) (02/03/89)
In article <450@rpi.edu> fargo@pawl.rpi.edu (Ethan M. Young) writes:
+Just as a small question from a novice here:
+ What about people who are ambidextrous? :)
I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous :-)
=============================================================================
Paul Blumstein | America may be unique in being a country which has
Citicorp/TTI | leapt from barbarism to decadence without touching
Santa Monica, CA | civilization. -- John O'Hara
+-------------------------------------------------------
{philabs,csun,psivax}!ttidca!paulb or paulb@ttidca.TTI.COM
If asked, Citicorp would say "Paul who?"kevinc@auvax.UUCP (Kevin "auric" Crocker) (02/07/89)
In article <1989Jan26.120627.24056@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>, jinli@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Jin Li) writes: > In article <725@htsa.uucp> fransvo@htsa.uucp (Frans van Otten) writes: > >...what should we think of forcing left-handed people to > >write with their right hand ? (I believe this is mainly in the past, now). > S/he will become ambidextrous. :-) Hey, this scenario is not as far fetched as you may think - i.e. the smiley. As I was growing up I used my left hand for almost everything. My older brother didn't like it so every time I used my left hand he would hit me on the left arm. Well, hey, I'm not dumb. i started to use my right hand whenever he was around and my left when I was alone. For most tasks I consider myself ambidextrous because of this behaviour on my brother's part. In some respects I am grateful(sic) for my brother's interference but I am also regretful. My behaviour changed as a result and things might have been different had this not happened. My son likes to use his left hand for a lot of things and I encourage him as much as possible to use both hand for as much as possible. For example, if he picks up a crayon with his left hand I try to help hime learn how to hold it so the point will make a mark on the paper, but if he picks the crayon up in his right hand I do the same thing. Please don't tell me that I'm contributing to developmental blockage. :-) Kevin -- Kevin "Auric" Crocker @Athabasca University {alberta ncc}auvax!kevinc