Handedness in the Japanese

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Abstract
Using questionnaires, handedness was studied in 8,693 Japanese persons 6 to 94 years old. The diagram of the proportion of right‐handedness in the different age group showed an “S‐shaped” curve consisting of three different phases: a transient drop at 9 to 10 years, a marked elevation from 12 to 25 years, and a stable phase after 26 years. Curves for males and females were quite similar in shape, but the female curve was located above and to the left of the male curve. This indicated (a) that a marked dextralization of handedness occurred in the adolescent period and (b) that male and female handedness took a similar dextralizing course but proceeded according to different timetables because the female advances several years earlier than the male. We regard this as a developmental phenomenon based on the biological process.