Are you right-side dominant or left-side dominant? Find out!

Author: Maddie Van Beek

I’m guessing you all know that most people are either right-handed or left-handed. The people in the world who use both hands equally are ambidextrous. This is pretty rare. If you are truly ambidextrous, you are a part of the 1 percent of the population who has equal left and right-hand dominance. The majority of the population is right-handed (about 70-90 percent). 


Have you ever heard anyone refer to being right-brained or left-brained? We have two hemispheres of our brain. As you can see in the diagram below, your right hemisphere controls your left side and your left hemisphere controls your right side.

http://nakedbeans.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/left-handed-brain.png

Based on split-brain studies on people who had their hemispheres separated for epileptic treatment in the ‘60s, scientists determined that right-brained people were more creative, while left-brained people were more analytical and detail-oriented.

http://blog-mindjet.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/JESS3_Mindjet_BetweenMinds_RBvLB-final2.jpg

The truth is, we all use both hemispheres of our brain, as the two halves are connected by a cord of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum and communicate between each other. The terms “right-brained” or “left-brained” are really more descriptions of your personality traits than they are scientific terms, although scientists still agree that the left and right hemisphere certainly process information differently. For example, language functions in the left hemisphere while voice tones function in the right hemisphere. In this way, both hemispheres work together for you to have a conversation with someone. 

CLICK HERE for more information!

Play the split-brain experiments to learn more about past studies and results on the left and right hemispheres of the brain!

CLICK HERE to play the Split Brain Experiments!

While you probably recognized whether you were right or left-handed at an early age, you might not know that you can also be right-footed, left-eyed, or left-eared! How do you figure out your sidedness?  


Try this!


YOU WILL NEED:

• Paper
• Writing utensil
• Paper towel tube
• Cup of water
• Ball

HERE’S WHAT TO DO! 

1. First, test your eye! Which eye do you use to wink? Which eye do you use to look through the paper towel tube? Record your results. 
2. Hold your hands out at arm-length and create a circle with your fingers. Look through the circle at a distant object. Now, close your left eye. Open it and close your right eye. Did your view ever change? If it changed when you closed your left eye, you are left-eyed; if your view changed when you closed your right eye, you are right-eyed. Record your results. 
3. Which hand do you use to write your name? Pick up a cup of water? Throw the ball? Record your results. 
4. Kick the ball. Which foot did you use? Run and take a leap. Which foot did you leap off of? Record your results. 
5. Analyze your experiences. Are you more left or right sided? Where you left sided in some situations and right sided in others? 

Now, find out whether your friends are left or right sided! Test as many people as possible to get more accurate results. A larger number of test subjects is more representative of the population you are testing. 



Let’s try some new objects to test with! 



YOU WILL NEED:

• Paper
• Writing utensil
• Paper towel tube
• A coin
• A phone

HERE’S WHAT TO DO!

1. First, create a data table to record your results. Put hand, foot, eye, and ear down the left side of your table and your participants names across the top. Your table might look something like this: 

2. Ask your participant to do the following, and record the results in your table as they complete the tasks. 


3. Tell your participant to write their name. Which hand did they use? 


4. Place a coin on the floor directly in front of your participant and ask them to step on the coin. Which foot did they use to step forward? 


5. Ask your participant to pretend to answer the phone. Which ear did they use to “listen?” 


6. Tell the participant to look through the paper towel tube at a distant object. Which eye did they use to look through the tube? 


7. If you have time, continue testing! What other objects or experiences would help you determine sidedness? 


FINALLY!


Take a look at your results! Time to get analytical. What did you find? What do those numbers mean? Is right-footedness associated with right-handedness? Were some people a mix of left side dominance and right side dominance? What might this mean? Report your results in an informational paragraph or create a visual. 




References

• http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/01/brain.aspx
• http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-dominant-side/
• http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/dominantside.html
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-myths/201206/why-the-left-brain-right-brain-myth-will-probably-never-die
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/19/right-brain-left-brain-debunked_n_3762322.html
• http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/split-brain/splitbrainexp.html