Re: Left-handers and learning

Ilda Carreiro King (kingil who-is-at bc.edu)
Thu, 11 Feb 1999 11:45:16 -0500

Hi Phil,
If you go to BC web site www.bc.edu they are listed under individuals and you
can automatically link to their email or see phone numbers. I think they would be
very interested in the discussion- i sent beth a message already- and in your
thoughts and perspective. Please introduce yourself as through me since I sat in
on Ellen's research team meetings last year for awhile and Beth knows me as well.

M.Beth CAsey is a prof in Dev & Ed Psych
and Ellen Winner is a prof in Psychology

Ellen does research into creativity. Both have done research on handedness,
spatial relations, and dyslexia - from the individual differences perspectives.

I will CC this to them
Happy Hunting,
Ilda

Phil Graham wrote:

> Thanks again Ilda,
>
> I'll most definitely look up Beth and Ellen. Do they have a website, or
> should I contact them via email. Also, do you know if are they taking into
> account the potential social exclusion or bias factors that have been
> brought up by our colleagues here?
>
> It seems to me that most of neuroscience often ignores social factors, even
> in regards to neural configuration/activity and "conceptual" thought. I'm
> just reading Lakoff and Johnson at the moment. When I heard about their
> book, I had been hopeful that socio-cultural influences might have found
> their way into cog-sci. So far, it seems not.
>
> Phil
>
> At 07:36 11-02-99 -0500, you wrote:
> >Phil,
> >I wonder if the article meant that left handedness goes with risk taking?
> That is
> >something that Beth Casey and Ellen Winner are investigating, partly through
> >genetic trees, looking for links between handedness and mixed dominance and
> >dyslexia and ADD- hence the risk taking. Also finding highly individual and
> >creative , etc. They are basing their work on Gallaburda, the
> neuroscientist in
> >Boston who worked on the brains of dyslexics. they are also investigating
> spatial
> >questions in particular.
> >
> >Ilda
> >
> >Phil Graham wrote:
> >
> >> This is like Matt. In fact, sometimes he gets confused when he does things
> >> like hitting a tennis ball. He wants to hold the racquet one way (with his
> >> left hand), but then wants to swing from a right-hander's forehand
> >> perspective. The result is an interesting set of confused movements on
> >> occasions, even though he's very well coordinated. He throws right-handed
> >> (extremely accurately), but sometimes uses his left with equal accuracy but
> >> less strength. He definitely writes left-handed and uses his left hand for
> >> most intricate activities.
> >>
> >> It's really an eye-opener to see how he manipulates space.
> >>
> >> Thanks for the other comments, Anthony, Ken, & Daniel.
> >>
> >> I find it hard to believe that left-handedness and addiction go together
> >> and will read the research with interest. At any rate, as a dry alcoholic
> >> and a former addict of various stripes, it'd be hard to say - if my child
> >> turned out to be an addict, which I hope with all my heart he doesn't -
> >> whether it was due to his left handedness, my (apparently) inbuilt
> >> proclivities passed on genetically (alcoholism runs on both sides of mine
> >> and my ex-wifes families), or his social environment.
> >>
> >> Phil
> >>
> >> At 21:56 10-02-99 -0500, you wrote:
> >> >Oh boy. Now you've got me thinking. My almost-6 year old is ambi. I
> don't
> >> >mean "hasn't developed a preference", I mean ambi. He writes
> right-handed,
> >> >eats left-handed (actually fork left-handed and chopsticks right-handed),
> >> >colors both-handed but more often right, ties his shoelaces exactly mirror
> >> >image from the way I do it (I'm a rightie), switch-hits......
> >> >
> >> >Tane Akamatsu
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >Phil Graham wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Does anyone know much about differences in the ways left-handed people
> >> >> learn stuff (indeed, do they learn fundamentally differently? Does it
> have
> >> >> anything to do with left-right handedness ? I dunno ...). I ask
> because I
> >> >> watched a small triumph as my son Matt (6) finally learned to tie his
> >> >> shoelaces.
> >> >>
> >> >> When he managed to do it, the way he did it was not only completely
> swapped
> >> >> around from left to right from the way I had continually shown him, but
> >> >> also from front to back. Watching him overcome a relatively large
> obstacle,
> >> >> it dawned on me how completely differently from me he interprets suff
> >> >> spatially. I've noticed differences before, but this particular instance
> >> >> really exaggerated the different way he sees stuff to me and the other
> >> >> right-handers he's surrounded by.
> >> >>
> >> >> Phil
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Phil Graham
> >> >> pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au
> >> >> http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/8314/index.html
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> Phil Graham
> >> pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au
> >> http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/8314/index.html
> >
> >
> Phil Graham
> pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au
> http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/8314/index.html