Abstract
Incidence of left handedness has been reported greater among mental defectives than among intellectually normal persons. Several investigators (2, 4 ) have disclosed the latter to be over 90% right-handed and Mintz (5 ) reported right-handedness in about 75% of a group of 97 moderately and mildly retarded boys. Laterality has been theoretically attributed to a variety of factors, Hildreth's observation of nursery school children suggesting a learning theory of handedness ( 3 ) . From simple handedness tests, administered to the three diagnostic groups described in Tables 1 and 2, righr handedness was observed in 67%. The data appeared to support a learning theory of handedness in the severely retarded. Incidence of right handedness in the Mongolians was attributed to a lengthy period of infantile level learning through imitation with final arrest of development at an early childhood developmental stage (1, 6 ) . The familial group's mixed preferences were attributed to possible independent learning due to a higher level of intellectual development and a more varied developmental range. The brain-injured group's scattered pattern was interpreted as a reflection of unpredictability in development and learning.
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