Unconscious Bias in Walking

Abstract

THE following little experiment seems to show that if the majority of people are, as Mr. Darwin argues, left-legged, they would circle to the left in a mist, as Mr. Larden says they do. I would call myself normal, my left leg being the stronger. That is to say, like the majority, I jump from the left, rest my weight standing on the left (a glance at a photograph album shows this to be normal) and generally cross my right over my left whilst sitting. Having put myself in a dark empty room, I could not satisfy myself as to which way I circled, there not being space enough, but when I artificially lamed myself by putting a few tin tacks in my slipper, I circled strongly in the direction of the sound foot. From what had been said in NATURE on the subject at the time, I expected the for-the-time-being longer and stronger limb to circle round the other. The fact seems to be that there is a bias towards the stronger, most-leant-upon limb, irrespective of length. It is worth noting that, if the object causing pain be placed under the inside of, say, the right foot only, the experimenter will lean on the outside of that foot and circle to the right.