Under what conditions will right-handers use their left hand? The effects of object orientation, object location, arm position, and task complexity in preferential reaching

Abstract

When reaching to objects, it is known that the preferred hand is selected significantly more often for midline and ipsilateral reaches, although right-handers are more likely to continue to use their right hand to reach for an object in contralateral space (Mamolo, Roy, Rohr, & Bryden, 2006). The current study examined the influence of object orientation, object location, task complexity, and initial position of the hands on a reaching task in a sample of 45 right-handed adults. Participants reached to and picked up a mug oriented in one of three ways (handle to right, left, or neutral position) located in one of three spatial positions (left, right, and midline) from each of two starting hand positions: right hand over left, and vice versa. Along with the expected results, an interesting pattern emerged where both the orientation of the object and the position of the hands had significant effects on hand selection, such that the use of the non-preferred left hand was augmented in conditions where preferred-hand use was awkward and biomechanically inefficient. The results will be discussed in light of current theories accounting for hand selection preferences.