HANDEDNESS DISTRIBUTIONS IN 9 PROFESSIONAL GROUPS

The relationships between profession and handedness were studied in ap proximately equal numbers of accountants, architects, dentists, lawyer s, librarians, mathematicians, orthodontists, orthopedic surgeons, and psychiatrists (ns=133 +/- 36; N=1196). Handedness was estimated using laterality scores derived from the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory and self-reported global handedness preference scores. Architects and law yers had the most lefthanded average laterality scores. Orthopedic sur geons, mathematicians, and librarians had the most righthanded average laterality scores. Psychiatrists and lawyers had the most ambilateral laterality scores, mathematicians and librarians the least. These fin dings are discussed in relation to theories of handedness and cerebral localization of visuospatial and language function.