Cross Laterality: Handedness, Footedness and Foot overlapping

Abstract

Lateralisation is the preference or dominance of one side of the body or an organ over the other side. The marker of laterality is handedness. Most of the population is right handed due to the left cerebral dominance whereas only 10% of population is left handed. The study of cerebral lateralization involves identifying the key reliable predictors to analyse the exact behavioural manifestations actuated by the lateral hemispheres. Though the analogue factor of using the preferred hand has been widely used as the predictor, footedness could also be yet another dimension of analysing the laterality behaviour of cerebral hemispheres especially among the left handed population. In human beings, the establishment of motor system pursue the basic principle of control of distal movements contralaterally. This principle is reflected at the anatomical level in virtually complete crossing of corticospinal fibres which innervate distal muscles. This work focusses on the analysis of preference of foot over the cerebral laterality. The sample consisted of equal number of right and left handed school children. Lateral preference inventory was used to assess the handedness and footedness. This study was aimed at the distribution, the frequencies and the correlation between the laterality of handedness, foot preference and foot overlapping.