Left-Right Discrimination Strategy-and the influence of hand visibility and congruency

Abstract

To orientate ourselves in daily life, knowing the difference between left and right is crucial. Yet, many healthy humans experience difficulty while making left-right (LR) decisions in daily life. Assumed is that a hand strategy decreases left-right confusion (LRC). By using the Bergen Left Right Discrimination Test four conditions were tested to examine whether visibility and congruency of the hands were of influence on making LR judgments. A higher LRC in the invisible-incongruent condition compared to the visible-congruent conditions was expected. No significant differences were found, showing that the visibility and congruency of the hands are of no influence on LRC. Second, questions were included in the study focused on gender, handedness and dyscalculia. For gender only a significant difference was found on self-report. No difference was found for handedness. A significant difference was reported for LRC and dyscalculia; a higher RT on the LR discrimination test shows a score below cut off on a numeracy test.