Research Paper
E-ISSN NO : 2455-295X | VOLUME : 3 | ISSUE : 2 | FEB 2017
THE FREQUENCY OF LEFT-HANDEDNESS IN A SAMPLE IN NORTHERN SERBIA Eva Borsos 1 | Géza Czékus 2 | Rita Horák 3 1
University of Novi Sad Teacher Training Faculty in Hungarian in Subotica Strosmajerova 11. 24000 Subotica, Serbia. University of Novi Sad Teacher Training Faculty in Hungarian in Subotica Strosmajerova 11. 24000 Subotica, Serbia. 3 University of Novi Sad Teacher Training Faculty in Hungarian in Subotica Strosmajerova 11. 24000 Subotica, Serbia. 2
ABSTRACT Nowadays more and more pupils have learning disorders. One reason for this can be left-handedness. In many cases left-handed pupils cannot use tools made for right-handed pupils, they don’t have enough place for writing on the school desk, etc. With a little effort these problems can be solved. Earlier left-handed people were despised and expelled. In many cases they were forced to use their right hand in early childhood. In our work we show the results of research done in our university (University of Novi Sad Teacher Training Faculty in Hungarian in Subotica) in northern Serbia. We observed the students focusing on the dominancy of hand, leg and eye. Results showed that the rate of left-handedness is low, and hidden left-handedness appeared in the sample, too. In the case of some pupils right-handedness is associated with left leg or left eye dominancy. As a teacher training faculty we have to attract attention of our students on this phenomenon, so they can help their pupils in the future. Keywords: laterality, anthropology, left handedness, right handedness, students. everyday life. They can usually write with both of their hands. Introduction Their number in the population is insignificant: three from There is a sort of symmetry in most living organisms in our thousand (Anett, 1998). natural environment. For example the arms of the starfish are Right-handed persons use their right hand for writing and most positioned along the radius of a circle and the structure of each of their actions. In the population they make a majority arm is the same (Liang, 2012).There are few creatures of nature (Fischer, 1991). where asymmetry can be observed. The house of snails spiral in Left-handed persons prefer their left hand while writing. In the same direction from left to right or the opposite direction many cases they are disadvantaged while using tools specially and this characteristic descends to the offspring (Hahn, 1998). made for right-handed persons (paper scissors, tin-opener, etc.). It was observed at climber plants that on the north hemisphere Many popular persons were left-handed: Goethe, Beethoven, they wind anticlockwise, while on the south hemisphere they Napoleon, Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, etc. (Farkas, 1996). In wind clockwise (Endress, 2001). most cultures the way of writing is suitable for right-handed The majority of living organisms have bilateral symmetry: their persons because their writing is from right to left. For body is divided into left and right side. Many experiments on left-handed persons the opposite direction would be more mammals (rats, cats, monkeys, kangaroos) suggest that some functional. mammals prefer one of their paws in their everyday activities One of the advantages of left-handedness is that skills and (Diamond, 1975; Paul, 1994; Carrie, 2015). orientation in space are controlled by the right hemisphere. The structure of the human body is also characterised by This way ideas of the right hemisphere can be carried out bilateralism. However, in the case of humans laterality is a quickly and precisely by the left hand. This is an advantage, widespread phenomenon: the preference of one side of the body especially in some sports (Paul, 1994). against the other. The dominant side has better capacity. This Functional laterality of our brain may be the reason for lateral domination manifests itself as preference of a hand, a leg or an domination (Coren, 1977). In 1836 Dacs (in Coren, 1977) eye (Anett, 2002). noticed that persons, whose left hemisphere was injured, lost Humans can be divided into three groups based on hand their speech ability. Wada’s (in Coren, 1992) data show that dominancy: right-handed (dexterity), left-handed (sinistrality) 97% of the population is right-handed, and the left hemisphere and two-handed (ambidexterity). Scientists made two special is the dominant in 70% of left-handed persons. categories, too. With persons belonging to the „mixed‖ Researchers showed that the left hemisphere controls the right category no consistent side preference could be observed. In side of the body and the right hemisphere the left. Persons case of converted dominancy the person has to use the having a dominant left hemisphere were characterised as non-dominant side for some reason (for example because of intellectual, algebraic, rational, deductive, objective, with no injury orhe was forced to do so) (Meng, 2007). sense of humour, their colour analysis is on the basic level and Two-handed persons use both of their hands equally in
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