THE SPECIFICITY OF MOTOR SKILL AND MANUAL ASYMMETRY - A REVIEW OF THEEVIDENCE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

Results of investigations on gaining control of limb movements are rev iewed, and their contribution to understanding the development of manu al asymmetries is discussed in relation to the discrimination and prog ramming of appropriate neuromuscular resources. An examination of the relevant evidence on number and types of manual asymmetries recorded p rovides strong grounds for concluding that where asymmetries occur, th ey simply represent a further example of the well-documented activity- specific nature of motor skills and of the extremely lengthy periods o f learning or experience needed for their acquisition and perfection. This specificity of motor skill and manual asymmetry also readily acco unts for most of the discrepancy usually reported between assessments of hand preference and performance differences between hands, because these alternative measures of handedness have rarely employed the same range or variety of tasks.