Hand movement asymmetries during verbal and nonverbal tasks.

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Abstract
Right-handed subjects were videotaped while they assembled blocks to perform a series of verbal and nonverbal tasks, and a neutral (nonlateralized) task. Analysis of the videotapes revealed that the frequency of movement of one hand relative to the other changed systematically with the cognitive nature of the task, but only for movements playing a functional role in task performance. For the majority of such movements, verbal tasks elicited a greater proportion of right-hand use than did a neutral task, while nonverbal tasks elicited a greater proportion of left-hand use than did a neutral task. These shifts may reflect the engagement of lateralized problem-solving systems within the 2 hemispheres.