Non-human animals exhibit population-level lateralized hand or paw preferences
the verdict
REFUTED
the evidence says no
confidence 0/100
While many non-human animals exhibit strong individual-level hand or paw preferences, extensive meta-analyses and comparative studies show that they lack the consistent population-level directional biases seen in humans.
Evidence against · 4
Hand preferences in coordinated bimanual tasks in non-human primates: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
2022 · cited by 0
A meta-analysis on non-human primates performing bimanual tasks found individual-level lateralization but concluded that, in contrast with humans, no asymmetry was found at the population level.
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More against · 3
The evolution and biological correlates of hand preferences in anthropoid primates.
2022 · cited by 0
A comprehensive study across 38 anthropoid primate species confirmed that taxa displaying population-level handedness are rare and that human-like population-level lateralization is unique.
Paw preferences in mice and rats: Meta-analysis.
2021 · cited by 0
A meta-analysis on mice and rats found significant hemispheric asymmetries at the individual level, but explicitly noted that population-level asymmetries were not observed.
Paw preferences in cats and dogs: Meta-analysis.
2019 · cited by 0
A meta-analysis on cats and dogs demonstrated that while individuals show paw preferences, neither species exhibits a directional preference on the population level.