Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1978,46, 1344-1346. @ Perceptual and Motor Skills 1978
LATERAL RESPONSE TO SUGGESTION IN RELATION TO HANDEDNESS J. J. FLEMINGER, R. DALTON, G. HSU Gry's Horpital, London, England Summary.-Lateralitation of response to the suggestion of a sensation was recorded in 100 psychiatric patients and related to t h e ~ rhandedness. Responses showed no over-all preponderance to right or left side. There was, however, a significant association between side of response and handedness.
A predominance of left-sided occurrence has been reported for certain psychogenic symptoms. These include conversion hysteria (5, lo), pain ( 9 ) , hypochondriasis (7). Second, there have been reports that the side of symptoms is related to handedness (2, 6). The present study investigated these two observations using direct suggestion under experimental conditions.
ME~OD Consecutively available psychiatric patients ( N = 100) attending Guy's Hospital, London, were submitted to a sensory suggestion test. Those with psychosis, subnormality, brain damage, p r w i o ~ ~injury s or abnormality of an arm or hand, or a history of electroconvulsive therapy in the previous year, were excluded. There were 41 men aged between 16 and 60 yr. (M = 38.7 yr.) and 59 women aged between 18 and 60 yr. (M = 39.4 yr.). Subjects sat in an arm chair 6 ft. from the experimenter who operated a tape recorder to which they were asked to Listen. Three minutes of taped instruction and the suggestion of a sensation were then played as follows:
.
Please make yourself comfortable in the chair . . sit comfortably with your feet tcl gether . . . your feet together and your hands, palms facing downwards, on your lap . . place the palms of your hands downwards, side by side on your lap . not touching each other and quite still . . . not touching each other . . . quite still . . . This test needs all your concentration, all the concentration that you can give to it-so, to help you concentrate, please close your eyes . keep your eyes dosed until the end of the test . . . please try to sit quiet and still until you are told that the test has finished . . . Now--concentrate on your hands . . fix your mind on your hands . . . if other thoughts or sounds occur, keep bringing your mind back to your hands . . . concentrate as hard as you can o n your hands and fingers . . on your hands and fingers and how they are feeling . . . on your hands and how they are feeling . . . as you concentrate, you will become more and more aware of feeling in your h a n d m f the feelings in them . . . N o w - a s soon as you have a tingling feeling, lift u p the hand in which you first feel it . . as soon as you get a tingling feeling in your hand or finger, lift u p the hand i n which you feel it . . lift up the hand in which you first feel tingling . . . a tingling feeling in finger or hand . . . lift up the hand in which you feel a tingle . . . concentrate hard . . . a tingling feeling . . . lift up the hand in which you can feel a tingle . . a tingling feeling . . . tingling . . . a tingling feeling . . . tingling . . a tingling feeling . . . tingling ( 3 min.)
.
. .
. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
LATERAL RESPONSE TO SUGGESTION, HANDEDNESS
1345
One of four possible responses was then recorded according to whether the subject raised the right or left hand, both hands, or neither. Handedness was then classified using a 12-item handedness preference questionnaire (1). Dextrals were those who performed all actions with the right hand. Non-dextrals were all other subjects.
RESULTS There were 64 responders of whom 57 gave lateral responses by raising either right or left hand. The relation of these lateralized responses to handedness is set out in the table. There were 30 left-sided and 27 right-sided responders. When lateralization is considered in relation to handedness in subjects as a group, a significant association is found; 64% of dextrals gave rightsided and 36% gave left-sided responses, whereas 69% of non-dextrals gave left-sided responses ( p = 0.024). Within each group of males and females aged under 40, or 40 and over, the numbers were very small and a similar significant association was found only for males aged 40 and over (dextrals: right = 7, left = 2; non-dextrals: right = 0, left = 4: Fisher's exact test, p =
0.042 ) . TABLE I Handedness
Right
Left
Response N 9 6
Dextral Non-dextral
18
All
27
9
64.3 31.0
Response N % 10 20 30
35.7 69.0
Totals
28 29 57
P (Fisher's exact test)
0.024
The technique reported here of inducing a sensation by direct suggestion does not reflect a preponderance of left-sidedness such as has been reported for psychogenic symptoms. It may be that the choice of side for response to suggestion is not subserved by the same mechanisms as those which underly psychogenic symptoms. Data from this technique gives support for an association between the side of "psychogenic" sensation and handedness. Subjects investigated here were males and females of different ages and psychiatric diagnoses. It is known that there is a relationship between handedness and age (4) and between sex, handedness and diagnosis (3, 8). This could be relevant to the present findings. Further studies are required, therefore, to take account of these variables. REFERENCES 1. ANNETT,M. A classification of hand preference by association analysis. Brit. 1. Psychoj., 1970, 61, 303-321.
1346
J. J. FLEMINGER,
ET AL.
2. FALLIK,A.,& SIGAL,M Hysteria-the
choice of symptom site: a review of 40 cases of conversion hysteria. Psychosom., 1971, 19, 310-318. 3. FLEMINGBR, J. J., DALTON, R., & STANDAGE, K. F. Age as a factor in the handedness of adults. Neirrop~ycho~ogia, 1977, 15, 471-473. 4. FLHMINGBR, J. J., DALTON,R., & STANAGE,K F. Handedness in psychiatric patients. Brit. I. Psych&., 1977, 131, 448-452. 5. GALIN.D., DIAMOND,R., & BRAFF, D. Lateralization of conversion symptoms: more on the left. Amer. 1. Psychht., 1977, 5 , 578-580. 6. HALLIDAY, J. Psychological factors in rheumatism: Part 11. Brit. Med. J . , 1937, 1. 264-269. 7. KEGON, F. E. Hypochondriass: a clinical study. h i / . I. Psychiat., 1964, 110, 478-
488. , A.,& 8. L I S H ~ NW.
M C W B K E N , E R. L. Hand preference patterns in psychiatric Brd. I . Psychid., 1976, 129, 158-166. 9. MERSKEY,H., & SPEAR,F. G. P a n : psychoIogical and psychia~ricaspects. London: Ballikre, Tindall & Cassell, 1967. 10. S ~ R N D. , B. Handedness and the lateral distribution of conversion reactions. 1. nerv. m a . Dis., 1977, 164, 122-128. patients.
Accepted
May 10, 1978.
LATERAL RESPONSE TO SUGGESTION IN RELATION TO HANDEDNESS J. J. FLEMINGER, R. DALTON, G. HSU Gry's Horpital, London, England Summary.-Lateralitation of response to the suggestion of a sensation was recorded in 100 psychiatric patients and related to t h e ~ rhandedness. Responses showed no over-all preponderance to right or left side. There was, however, a significant association between side of response and handedness.
A predominance of left-sided occurrence has been reported for certain psychogenic symptoms. These include conversion hysteria (5, lo), pain ( 9 ) , hypochondriasis (7). Second, there have been reports that the side of symptoms is related to handedness (2, 6). The present study investigated these two observations using direct suggestion under experimental conditions.
ME~OD Consecutively available psychiatric patients ( N = 100) attending Guy's Hospital, London, were submitted to a sensory suggestion test. Those with psychosis, subnormality, brain damage, p r w i o ~ ~injury s or abnormality of an arm or hand, or a history of electroconvulsive therapy in the previous year, were excluded. There were 41 men aged between 16 and 60 yr. (M = 38.7 yr.) and 59 women aged between 18 and 60 yr. (M = 39.4 yr.). Subjects sat in an arm chair 6 ft. from the experimenter who operated a tape recorder to which they were asked to Listen. Three minutes of taped instruction and the suggestion of a sensation were then played as follows:
.
Please make yourself comfortable in the chair . . sit comfortably with your feet tcl gether . . . your feet together and your hands, palms facing downwards, on your lap . . place the palms of your hands downwards, side by side on your lap . not touching each other and quite still . . . not touching each other . . . quite still . . . This test needs all your concentration, all the concentration that you can give to it-so, to help you concentrate, please close your eyes . keep your eyes dosed until the end of the test . . . please try to sit quiet and still until you are told that the test has finished . . . Now--concentrate on your hands . . fix your mind on your hands . . . if other thoughts or sounds occur, keep bringing your mind back to your hands . . . concentrate as hard as you can o n your hands and fingers . . on your hands and fingers and how they are feeling . . . on your hands and how they are feeling . . . as you concentrate, you will become more and more aware of feeling in your h a n d m f the feelings in them . . . N o w - a s soon as you have a tingling feeling, lift u p the hand in which you first feel it . . as soon as you get a tingling feeling in your hand or finger, lift u p the hand i n which you feel it . . lift up the hand in which you first feel tingling . . . a tingling feeling in finger or hand . . . lift up the hand in which you feel a tingle . . . concentrate hard . . . a tingling feeling . . . lift up the hand in which you can feel a tingle . . a tingling feeling . . . tingling . . . a tingling feeling . . . tingling . . a tingling feeling . . . tingling ( 3 min.)
.
. .
. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
LATERAL RESPONSE TO SUGGESTION, HANDEDNESS
1345
One of four possible responses was then recorded according to whether the subject raised the right or left hand, both hands, or neither. Handedness was then classified using a 12-item handedness preference questionnaire (1). Dextrals were those who performed all actions with the right hand. Non-dextrals were all other subjects.
RESULTS There were 64 responders of whom 57 gave lateral responses by raising either right or left hand. The relation of these lateralized responses to handedness is set out in the table. There were 30 left-sided and 27 right-sided responders. When lateralization is considered in relation to handedness in subjects as a group, a significant association is found; 64% of dextrals gave rightsided and 36% gave left-sided responses, whereas 69% of non-dextrals gave left-sided responses ( p = 0.024). Within each group of males and females aged under 40, or 40 and over, the numbers were very small and a similar significant association was found only for males aged 40 and over (dextrals: right = 7, left = 2; non-dextrals: right = 0, left = 4: Fisher's exact test, p =
0.042 ) . TABLE I Handedness
Right
Left
Response N 9 6
Dextral Non-dextral
18
All
27
9
64.3 31.0
Response N % 10 20 30
35.7 69.0
Totals
28 29 57
P (Fisher's exact test)
0.024
The technique reported here of inducing a sensation by direct suggestion does not reflect a preponderance of left-sidedness such as has been reported for psychogenic symptoms. It may be that the choice of side for response to suggestion is not subserved by the same mechanisms as those which underly psychogenic symptoms. Data from this technique gives support for an association between the side of "psychogenic" sensation and handedness. Subjects investigated here were males and females of different ages and psychiatric diagnoses. It is known that there is a relationship between handedness and age (4) and between sex, handedness and diagnosis (3, 8). This could be relevant to the present findings. Further studies are required, therefore, to take account of these variables. REFERENCES 1. ANNETT,M. A classification of hand preference by association analysis. Brit. 1. Psychoj., 1970, 61, 303-321.
1346
J. J. FLEMINGER,
ET AL.
2. FALLIK,A.,& SIGAL,M Hysteria-the
choice of symptom site: a review of 40 cases of conversion hysteria. Psychosom., 1971, 19, 310-318. 3. FLEMINGBR, J. J., DALTON, R., & STANDAGE, K. F. Age as a factor in the handedness of adults. Neirrop~ycho~ogia, 1977, 15, 471-473. 4. FLHMINGBR, J. J., DALTON,R., & STANAGE,K F. Handedness in psychiatric patients. Brit. I. Psych&., 1977, 131, 448-452. 5. GALIN.D., DIAMOND,R., & BRAFF, D. Lateralization of conversion symptoms: more on the left. Amer. 1. Psychht., 1977, 5 , 578-580. 6. HALLIDAY, J. Psychological factors in rheumatism: Part 11. Brit. Med. J . , 1937, 1. 264-269. 7. KEGON, F. E. Hypochondriass: a clinical study. h i / . I. Psychiat., 1964, 110, 478-
488. , A.,& 8. L I S H ~ NW.
M C W B K E N , E R. L. Hand preference patterns in psychiatric Brd. I . Psychid., 1976, 129, 158-166. 9. MERSKEY,H., & SPEAR,F. G. P a n : psychoIogical and psychia~ricaspects. London: Ballikre, Tindall & Cassell, 1967. 10. S ~ R N D. , B. Handedness and the lateral distribution of conversion reactions. 1. nerv. m a . Dis., 1977, 164, 122-128. patients.
Accepted
May 10, 1978.
