Lateral preference in retardates: Relationships between hand, eye, foot, and ear preference

Abstract

Lateral preference, expressed as hand, eye, foot, and ear preference, was studied in a group of high-trainable and low-educable mentally retarded individuals. Results were compared to two non-retarded groups chosen for approximate age and sensori-motor and cognitive equivalence. The retarded group showed a significantly higher incidence of left-sided or mixed-sided behaviors on each of the preference dimensions when compared to the other groups. Although lateral preference for use of limbs and sense organs tended to be concordant in the unaffected samples, the lateral preference patterns in the retardates resembled random assortment. The results are discussed in terms of neurological integrity and developmental lag.