Perceptualand Motor Skills, 1990, 71, 129-130. O Perceptual and Motor Skills 1990
SEX AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN LEFTHANDEDNESS K. OLOF GOTESTAM' University of Ttondbeim and 0stmarka Hospital Summary.-Sex differences are presented for the students of architecture and music, and the distribution of sex in the tested sample. and the population is discussed. The results are related to other smdies in Scandinavia, which give comparable results. A genetic/culmral model is used to discuss the differences between results from Scandinavia, USA, and other parts of the world. Although biased, the comments by Peterson (1990) were interesting enough for me to respond to. His supposition is correct, my sample is somewhat disproportionate. The ratio (in percentage) of women to men at the School of Architecture (in 1986) was 33% women/67% men, which is skewed in relation to my data (62% women/38% men) (Gotestam, 1990). The proportion of women to men among the 2,800 architects in Norway in 1989 was 20% women/80% men (572 women), with a steady increase of women since the first female architect had finished the School of Architecture in 1912. Although we do not know the exact response rate, it could be up to 71% for women and down to 22% for men. Even with such a disproportion, it probably does not make a big difference since there are only small and nonsignificant differences between the sexes when it comes to lefthandedness (Table 1). TABLE 1 CHARACTERISTICS REPORTEDFOR TWOGROWSAND SFXES: PERCENT LEFI. Variables ns (%) Wriring (left) Throwing Ball Threading Needle Kickmg Football Reading Problems Dyslexia Stuttering Choir Member Instrument Player
Architecture Men Women 23 (38.3) 13.0 13.0 17.4 13.0 8.7 8.7 4.5 17.4 39.1
37 (61.7) 13.5 20.8 40.5 13.5 8.3 8.3 5.7 26.5 61.1
Music Men
Women
43 (50.0) 11.6 14.0 27.9 12.2 7.5 2.4 10.3 57.1 100.0
43 (50.0) 7.0 7.0 12.2 9.5 0.0 5.0 2.4 70.0 100.0
The over-all results (Gotestam, 199O), with a lefthand writing incidence of 9.4%, are comparable to like Scandinavian research. Tambs, et al. (1987) reported lefthandedness for 9.49'0, and Levander and Schalling (1988) reported lefthand writing for 8 0 % of women and 10.0% of men. The lefthand prevalence in Norway has increased 10 times dur~ngthe last century, from 0.9% for people born 1895-1905, over 2.0% (born 1925-35) to 9.4% (born 1965-751, indicating an environmental influence (Tambs, et al., 1987). 'Address correspondence to K. Olof Gotestam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine, University of Trondheim, Ostmarka Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; or Bitnet address, Gotestam @ Norunit.Bitnet. Dr. John M. Peterson is acknowledged for an exceUent review of an earlier version (Gotestam, 1990).
Our lefthand data for architects (13.5% women/l3.0% men) correspond to the data reported by Peterson and Lansky (16.3%) with an almost identical method (1974). The differences in over-all lefthandedness between Scandinavia and the USA, as Peterson points out, are probably due to cultural differences. Dawson (1977) uses a genetic/cultural conformity model, explaining how incidence of handedness in a society could be traced to an interaction of genetic expression and cultural pressures towards conformity. He pointed to low incidences of lefthandedness in agricultural societies (0.6%, 1.5% and 3.4%), which are considered to be more conforming, while the permissively socialized Eskimo and Arunta hunters showed higher incidence of lefthandedness (11.3% and 10.5%). The model is further supported by low incidence of lefthanders among Chinese in Hong Kong (4.2% women/2.7% men). Similarly, Dronamraju (1975) showed high incidences of lefthandedness in Andhra Pradesh tribals i n India (7.8% women/15.5% men) on one hand, and low in Hindus (4.7% womenJ 6.9% men). He suggests that tribal and aboriginal populations should be investigated before they are culturally conditioned to righthandedness. In the paper by Gotestam (1990) it was not intended to give the impression that the procedure of Lansky, et al. (1988) was used. Although the procedure description in the Method section is partly based on the procedure of Lansky, et al. (1988), procedural characteristics should be discernible and replicable. Too much disparity in research methodology might confound the results and retard progress, but diEferences and developments are necessary elements in progress (cf. Peterson & Lansky, 1974; Lansky, Feinstein, & Peterson, 1988). In this specific case, the methods of this first study were certainly not as sophisticated as those of a coming one, so disparity may also reflect individual progress. REFERENCES DAWSON, J. L. An anthropological erspective on the evolution and lateralization of the brain. Annals of the New York Acaa!my of Science, 1977, 299, 424-447. DRONAMRAJU, K. R. Frequency of left-handedness among the Andhra Pradesh people. Acta Generico Gemellologica (Roma), 1975, 24, 161-162. GOTESTAM, K. G. Lefthandedness among students of architecture and music. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1990, 70, 1323-1327. LANSKY,L. M., FEINSTEM,H., & PETERSON,J. M. Demographics of handedness in two samples of randomly selected adults (N = 2083). Neuropsychologia, 1988, 26, 465-477. LEVANDER, M., & SCHALLING,D. Hand preference in a population of Swedish college students. Cortex, 1988, 24, 149-156. OLDFIELD,R. C. Handedness in musicians. Britixh Journal of Psychology, 1969, 60, 91-99. J. M. Left-handedness: differences in student artists and scientists. Perceptual and PETERSON, Moior SkilLr, 1979, 48, 961-962. PETERSON, J. M. Some comments on Gotestam's (1990), "Lefthandedness among students of architecture and music." Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1990, 70, 1345-1346. PETERSON, J. M., & LANSKY,L. M. kft-handedness among architects: some facts and speculation. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1974, 38, 547-550. TAMBS, K., MAGNUS,P, & BERG,K. Left-handedness in twin families: support of an environmental hypothesis. Perceptual and Motor SkilIs, 1987, 64, 155-170.
Accepted July 12, 1990.
SEX AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN LEFTHANDEDNESS K. OLOF GOTESTAM' University of Ttondbeim and 0stmarka Hospital Summary.-Sex differences are presented for the students of architecture and music, and the distribution of sex in the tested sample. and the population is discussed. The results are related to other smdies in Scandinavia, which give comparable results. A genetic/culmral model is used to discuss the differences between results from Scandinavia, USA, and other parts of the world. Although biased, the comments by Peterson (1990) were interesting enough for me to respond to. His supposition is correct, my sample is somewhat disproportionate. The ratio (in percentage) of women to men at the School of Architecture (in 1986) was 33% women/67% men, which is skewed in relation to my data (62% women/38% men) (Gotestam, 1990). The proportion of women to men among the 2,800 architects in Norway in 1989 was 20% women/80% men (572 women), with a steady increase of women since the first female architect had finished the School of Architecture in 1912. Although we do not know the exact response rate, it could be up to 71% for women and down to 22% for men. Even with such a disproportion, it probably does not make a big difference since there are only small and nonsignificant differences between the sexes when it comes to lefthandedness (Table 1). TABLE 1 CHARACTERISTICS REPORTEDFOR TWOGROWSAND SFXES: PERCENT LEFI. Variables ns (%) Wriring (left) Throwing Ball Threading Needle Kickmg Football Reading Problems Dyslexia Stuttering Choir Member Instrument Player
Architecture Men Women 23 (38.3) 13.0 13.0 17.4 13.0 8.7 8.7 4.5 17.4 39.1
37 (61.7) 13.5 20.8 40.5 13.5 8.3 8.3 5.7 26.5 61.1
Music Men
Women
43 (50.0) 11.6 14.0 27.9 12.2 7.5 2.4 10.3 57.1 100.0
43 (50.0) 7.0 7.0 12.2 9.5 0.0 5.0 2.4 70.0 100.0
The over-all results (Gotestam, 199O), with a lefthand writing incidence of 9.4%, are comparable to like Scandinavian research. Tambs, et al. (1987) reported lefthandedness for 9.49'0, and Levander and Schalling (1988) reported lefthand writing for 8 0 % of women and 10.0% of men. The lefthand prevalence in Norway has increased 10 times dur~ngthe last century, from 0.9% for people born 1895-1905, over 2.0% (born 1925-35) to 9.4% (born 1965-751, indicating an environmental influence (Tambs, et al., 1987). 'Address correspondence to K. Olof Gotestam, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine, University of Trondheim, Ostmarka Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; or Bitnet address, Gotestam @ Norunit.Bitnet. Dr. John M. Peterson is acknowledged for an exceUent review of an earlier version (Gotestam, 1990).
Our lefthand data for architects (13.5% women/l3.0% men) correspond to the data reported by Peterson and Lansky (16.3%) with an almost identical method (1974). The differences in over-all lefthandedness between Scandinavia and the USA, as Peterson points out, are probably due to cultural differences. Dawson (1977) uses a genetic/cultural conformity model, explaining how incidence of handedness in a society could be traced to an interaction of genetic expression and cultural pressures towards conformity. He pointed to low incidences of lefthandedness in agricultural societies (0.6%, 1.5% and 3.4%), which are considered to be more conforming, while the permissively socialized Eskimo and Arunta hunters showed higher incidence of lefthandedness (11.3% and 10.5%). The model is further supported by low incidence of lefthanders among Chinese in Hong Kong (4.2% women/2.7% men). Similarly, Dronamraju (1975) showed high incidences of lefthandedness in Andhra Pradesh tribals i n India (7.8% women/15.5% men) on one hand, and low in Hindus (4.7% womenJ 6.9% men). He suggests that tribal and aboriginal populations should be investigated before they are culturally conditioned to righthandedness. In the paper by Gotestam (1990) it was not intended to give the impression that the procedure of Lansky, et al. (1988) was used. Although the procedure description in the Method section is partly based on the procedure of Lansky, et al. (1988), procedural characteristics should be discernible and replicable. Too much disparity in research methodology might confound the results and retard progress, but diEferences and developments are necessary elements in progress (cf. Peterson & Lansky, 1974; Lansky, Feinstein, & Peterson, 1988). In this specific case, the methods of this first study were certainly not as sophisticated as those of a coming one, so disparity may also reflect individual progress. REFERENCES DAWSON, J. L. An anthropological erspective on the evolution and lateralization of the brain. Annals of the New York Acaa!my of Science, 1977, 299, 424-447. DRONAMRAJU, K. R. Frequency of left-handedness among the Andhra Pradesh people. Acta Generico Gemellologica (Roma), 1975, 24, 161-162. GOTESTAM, K. G. Lefthandedness among students of architecture and music. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1990, 70, 1323-1327. LANSKY,L. M., FEINSTEM,H., & PETERSON,J. M. Demographics of handedness in two samples of randomly selected adults (N = 2083). Neuropsychologia, 1988, 26, 465-477. LEVANDER, M., & SCHALLING,D. Hand preference in a population of Swedish college students. Cortex, 1988, 24, 149-156. OLDFIELD,R. C. Handedness in musicians. Britixh Journal of Psychology, 1969, 60, 91-99. J. M. Left-handedness: differences in student artists and scientists. Perceptual and PETERSON, Moior SkilLr, 1979, 48, 961-962. PETERSON, J. M. Some comments on Gotestam's (1990), "Lefthandedness among students of architecture and music." Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1990, 70, 1345-1346. PETERSON, J. M., & LANSKY,L. M. kft-handedness among architects: some facts and speculation. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1974, 38, 547-550. TAMBS, K., MAGNUS,P, & BERG,K. Left-handedness in twin families: support of an environmental hypothesis. Perceptual and Motor SkilIs, 1987, 64, 155-170.
Accepted July 12, 1990.
