Manual laterality in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in complex tasks.

Colell, Montserrat; Segarra, M. Dolores; Sabater-Pi, Jordi

doi:10.1037/0735-7036.109.3.298

Cited by 60 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Likewise, there is no significant hand preference at the population level even when a less stringent a 5 0.01 is used. Our results are in line with other NWM species (see Papademetriou et al [2005] for review) and are also consistent with other suborders which show no population bias toward lateralization of manual function (Prosimians [Cantalupo & Ward, 2000;Dodson et al, 1992;Sanford et al, 1984;Ward & Cantalupo, 1997;Ward et al, 1990]; OWM [Aruguete et al, 1992;Beck & Barton, 1972;Harigel, 1991;Rigamonti et al, 1998;Teichroeb, 1999;Westergaard et al, 2001]; and Apes [Byrne & Byrne, 1993;Colell et al, 1995;Hopkins et al, 1994;Rogers & Kaplan, 1996]). Our results are consistent with the notion that although some species show population level hand bias for specific activities, it is a uniquely human feature to show population level hand preference across a range of different behaviors.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Observations of hand preference in wild groups of white‐faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia) in Suriname

Smith

Thompson

2011

American J Primatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hand preference is well observed in humans and some primates. Unlike many other primates, however, humans show a consistent hand preference across a variety of tasks, and a distinct right-handed skew at the population level. Although there are a moderate number of published studies, primate hand preference literature is unbalanced by the large number of studies on only a few species. No previous studies have addressed hand preference in white-faced sakis (WFS; Pithecia pithecia). We followed three habituated groups of wild WFS in Suriname and recorded individual hand preference for six different manual behaviors. There was no consistent hand preference across a range of uni-manual behaviors for any individual. Likewise, there were significantly more ambidextrous individuals in the population than expected (χ(2) (df = 2) = 11.2, P = 0.004) and thus, no population level hand preference. Our findings contribute baseline data to the debate of primate hand lateralization, and support the notion that lateralization of hand function does not characterize all species.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Observations of hand preference in wild groups of white‐faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia) in Suriname

Smith

Thompson

2011

American J Primatol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many have argued that populationlevel right-handedness is unique to human evolution and related to the emergence of gestural language, speech, tool use, and other higher cognitive functions (Bradshaw & Rogers, 1993;Corballis, 2002). However, recent studies in captive chimpanzees have reported evidence of population-level right-handedness for certain manual actions, including throwing, gestural communication, and coordinated bimanual actions (Colell, Segarra, & Sabater-Pi, 1995;Hopkins, 1995;Hopkins, Bard, Jones, & Bales, 1993;Hopkins & Cantalupo, 2003;Hopkins & Leavens, 1998;Wesley et al, 2002). These results challenge the long-held belief in the uniqueness of human right-handedness.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Are Predominantly Right-Handed: Replication in Three Populations of Apes.

Hopkins¹,

Wesley²,

Izard³

et al. 2004

Behavioral Neuroscience

123

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Population-level right-handedness has historically been considered a hallmark of human evolution. Even though recent studies in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have demonstrated population-level right-handedness for certain behaviors, some have questioned the validity and consistency of these findings by arguing that reported laterality effects are specific to certain colonies of apes and to those chimpanzees reared by humans. The authors report evidence of population-level right-handedness in 3 separate colonies of chimpanzees. Moreover, handedness in the 3 colonies was unrelated to the proportion of subjects that were raised by humans. This is the strongest evidence to date that population-level handedness is evident in chimpanzees and is not an artifact of human rearing.

show abstract

“…This observation is particularly relevant in light of the recent evidence of taxonomic differences in functional asymmetries in nonhuman primates (see Corballis, 1992;Hopkins, 1996;Ward & Hopkins, 1993). For example, with specific reference to variations in hand preference, population-level right-handedness has been reported for coordinated bimanual actions in apes but not in New World monkeys (Colell, Segarra, & Sabater-Pi, 1995;Hopkins, 1995;Westergaard & Suomi, 1996); hand-preference data for coordinated actions in Old World monkeys have produced mixed results (Fagot & Vauclair, 1988;Westergaard, Champoux, & Suomi, 1997;Westergaard & Suomi, 1996). Regarding neuroanatomical asymmetries, great apes exhibit larger and more consistent left-occipital, right-frontal petalia asymmetries (LeMay, 1985) and have been reported to have a left-hemisphere asymmetry in sylvian fissure length, whereas monkeys do not (Yeni-Komshian & Benson, 1976; but see Heilbronner & Holloway, 1988).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparative MRI study of the relationship between neuroanatomical asymmetry and interhemispheric connectivity in primates: Implication for the evolution of functional asymmetries.

Hopkins¹,

Rilling²

2000

Behavioral Neuroscience

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The authors tested the theory that hemispheric specialization evolved as a consequence of reduced interhemispheric connectivity by examining whether neuroanatomical asymmetries were associated with variation in the ratio of corpus callosum size to brain volume (CC:VOL) and to neocortical surface area (CC:NEO) in human and nonhuman primates. Magnetic resonance images were collected in a sample of 45 primates including 8 New World monkeys, 10 Old Word monkeys, 4 lesser apes, 17 great apes, and 6 humans. CC:VOL and CC:NEO were determined and correlated with measures of brain asymmetry. The results indicate that brain asymmetry significantly predicted CC:VOL and CC:NEO. Subsequent analyses revealed that species variation in functional asymmetries in the form of handedness are also inversely related to CC:NEO. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that leftward brain asymmetries may have evolved as a consequence of reduced interhemispheric connectivity.The corpus callosum (CC) is the major neural pathway connecting the two cerebral hemispheres in placental mammals. The primary function of the CC is to connect homologous cortical areas between the two hemispheres along an anterior-posterior continuum. Histological studies in nonhuman primate brains suggest that the anterior portion (e.g., genu) of the CC connects the anterior-frontal areas whereas the posterior areas (e.g., splenium) connect the occipital and the temporal cortex (Pandya & Seltzer, 1986). Recently, individual differences in CC size among humans have been correlated with brain size, sex, age, and functional asymmetries in humans (see Driesen & Raz, 1995, for review). The most intriguing findings have been the reports of gender and handedness differences in CC morphology. For example, females have been reported to have larger CC areas after statistically controlling for differences in brain size (Driesen & Raz, 1995). Additionally, it has been reported that nonright-handed individuals have larger CC areas compared with right-handed individuals (e.g., Witelson, 1985). The reported gender and handedness differences in CC morphology have both been linked to differences in cerebral lateralization. For both females and left-handed individuals, it is argued that they are less lateralized than their counterparts because of increased interhemispheric connectivity between hemispheres (Witelson, 1989).Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to William D. Hopkins, Division of Psychobiology, Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322. Electronic mail may be sent to lrcbh@rmy.emory.edu or whopkins@berry.edu. To the extent that biological factors have been proposed to explain differences in CC morphology in humans, it is somewhat surprising that little research has been conducted on examining factors that influence CC morphology in nonhumans, particularly closely related nonhuman primates (Holloway & Heilbronner, 1993). In nonhuman primates, data from cadaver specimens (LaCoste & Woodward...

show abstract

Manual laterality in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in complex tasks.

Cited by 60 publications

References 29 publications

Observations of hand preference in wild groups of white‐faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia) in Suriname

Observations of hand preference in wild groups of white‐faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia) in Suriname

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) Are Predominantly Right-Handed: Replication in Three Populations of Apes.

A comparative MRI study of the relationship between neuroanatomical asymmetry and interhemispheric connectivity in primates: Implication for the evolution of functional asymmetries.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About