1. Effects of hand preference on digit lengths and digit ratios among children and adults.
- Author
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Kumar, Sanjay, Singh, Maharaj, and Voracek, Martin
- Subjects
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CEREBRAL dominance , *SEX hormones , *HANDEDNESS , *KINDERGARTEN children , *FINGER physiology , *FINGERS - Abstract
Background: Prenatal sex hormones may not exclusively determine effects of hand preference on digit ratios. Genetic determination is an alternative possibility.Aim: To study the likelihood of similar effects of hand preference on digit lengths and digit ratios.Methods: We selected similar numbers of left-handers and right-handers in samples of kindergarten children (N = 101, age range: 3.5-7 years) and adults (N = 189, age range: 17-28 years) and measured digit lengths (excluding the thumb) directly on the palmar hand.Results: Compared to right-handers, left-handers had longer digits and lower third-to-fourth (3D:4D) digit ratios among children, whereas an opposite pattern of handedness differences occurred among adults.Conclusions: Effects of hand preference on digit lengths and ratios might be genetically/ontogenetically determined. Also discussed are implications of this set of findings for digit ratio research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2020
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