A CLASSIFICATION OF HAND PREFERENCE BY ASSOCIATION ANALYSIS

An association analysis was made of the responses of young adults to a hand‐preference questionnaire. Many patterns of preference were distinguished and there were no marked differences between adjacent classes. These findings are believed to demonstrate that hand preference is distributed continuously and not discretely. When it is necessary to classify handedness, the preference continuum can be divided at several levels of discrimination. A second study of hand preference and manual speed showed that it is possible to order the main preference groups for asymmetry of manual skill. Some of the problems of studies of laterality are examined as possible consequences of the treatment of a continuous distribution as if it were discrete.