Hand, Limb, and Other Motor Preferences

Traditionally, lateral features of human brains and behaviors were considered unique to humans. However, with an explosion in cross-species investigations in recent history, research demonstrates that biases in hand, limb, and other motor preferences result from millions of years of shared evolution with other vertebrates and significant efforts are being made to develop and apply standardized measures to facilitate valid comparisons both within and across species. The behavioral sciences stand at the forefront of a paradigm shift to view human motor preferences within a comparative framework. Individual-level motor biases may reflect an early evolutionary division of primary survival functions for the left and right hemispheres of the brain, while population-level motor alignment may offer social advantages that benefit both the individual and the group. These lateralized primary functions may still influence modern human behavior and provide a foundational platform for the development of our seemingly unique and sophisticated social and other cognitive functions. In this way, the evolution and development of cognition are inextricably linked. This chapter considers hand, limb, and other motor preferences in humans and other animals with a focus on methodological practice, findings, and the future of this fast-paced field.