GAC013 AE#1
Seonyool Song
ABSTRACT
This report is designed to figure out how different parts of the body differ to our sense of touch. The hypothesis
of this report is that right-handed people are developed more on right part and left-handed people are developed
more on left part. For this experiment, 10 left-handed people and 10 right-handed people were tested. The result
showed that left-handed people were more sensitive on left hand but right-handed people responded similarly on
right and left hand. In fact, the hypothesis was right according to the book 『Left Brain, Right Brain』, but the
experiment wasn't support the hypothesis. To draw a conclusion more accurately, study is needed.
1.0 Introduction
People have their different sensitivity on both hands because of having their hand dominance. There is the
theory that human's left and right brain have the asymmetry of function. On the ground of this theory, the
purpose of this experiment is to prove the right-handed people have the sensibility of right hand and left-handed
people have the sensibility of left hand. The hypothesis is that if I make people blindfold and poke them on the
part of palms, back of their hands and five fingers each, then the result will show that right-handed person will
response more accurately on right hand and left-handed person will response more correctly on left hand.
2.0 Methods and Materials
To conduct this experiment, one blindfold, a ruler and two different color pens were used. Since most people
have a dominant hand, 10 right-handed people and 10 left-handed people became the subjects. (An ambidexter
was ruled out.) The subjects were blindfolded, poked and prodded in palms (A 1), back of their hands (B2) and
five fingers (C3, D4, E5, F6, G7) each. After that, the subjects were asked to draw the point where I pierce. Then
1
2
3
4
5
Refer to the appendix figure 2.1.
Refer to the appendix figure 2.1.
Refer to the appendix figure 2.1.
Refer to the appendix figure 2.1.
Refer to the appendix figure 2.1.
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the distance between the point I marked and the point where the subject marked was measured and the deviation
was written. The data was calculated by the averages of the distances measured. The calculated data indicate the
deviation degree. The greater this numerical value is, the lower the sensibility to experiment stimulus is. This
methodology determined which part was more sensitive.
3.0 RESULTS
The result of this experiment showed that most left-handed people responded on left hand more accurately than
right hand. On the other hand, right-handed people did not show that right-handed people are more sensitive on
right hand. The result revealed that right-handed people responded similarly on right hand and left hand. There
is a bar graph below. (The measured figures and the calculated numbers were attached in the end of the report.)
Figure 1.1 This chart show how left-handed people responded.
Left-handed people showed that they reacted more accurately compared to right hand. They revealed that when
they responded to right hand, there were wide deviations.
6
7
Refer to the appendix figure 2.1.
Refer to the appendix figure 2.1.
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Figure 1.2 This chart show how right-handed people responded.
In case right-handed people, they responded similarly both left hand and right hand. They responded
very sensitively both of hands on index fingers. In back of their hands case, they responded obtusely.
4.0 DISCUSSION
The result of this experiment revealed that most left-handed people reacted on left hand more accurately than
right hand. On the other hand, right-handed people responded similarly on right hand and left hand. That is, the
hypothesis of this experiment was true of left-handed people, but it was wrong to right-handed people. The
hypothesis was correct partially. According to the book named "Left brain, Right brain", the writer wrote down
like this.
The left-right physical symmetry of the brain and body does not imply, though, that the right and left
side are equivalent in all respects. We have only to examine the abilities of our two hands to see the
beginning of asymmetry of function. Few people are truly ambidextrous; most have a dominant hand.
In many instances a person's handedness can be used to predict a great deal about the organization of
higher mental functions in her or his brain. If right-handers, for example, it is almost always the case
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that the hemisphere that controls the dominant hand is also the hemisphere that controls speech 8.
(Sally and George 2)
The hemisphere that manages the superior hand is also the hemisphere that manages the speech. Like this, the
dominant hand will be also dominant in terms of sense and sensory perception. Therefore, I guessed that righthanded people are more sensitive and accurate on right hand. Furthermore, there was opportunity to study
relationships between brain activity and behavior as electrophysiological measures. Investigators studied
regional blood flow and other measures of metabolic processes. There are asymmetries in activity between the
hemispheres, but they can be very subtle. However, in 1968, Norman Geschwind and Walter Levitsky
demonstrated clearly. They proved unequivocal anatomical asymmetries in the two hemispheres of the human
brain in the regions important for speech and language. 9. Hereby, not only asymmetry of function but also
anatomical asymmetry was demonstrated. My result shows that on left-handed people, the experiment result
supported the hypothesis’ main premise that the asymmetry of the brain function and anatomical asymmetries in
the two hemispheres of the human brain. On right-handed people, the experiment result was incorrect of the
hypothesis. There were two weaknesses of this experiment. One was that even a subject couldn’t response
equally to same stimulate. This means that the same result can’t come out, even if this experiment is conducted
repeatedly under the same conditions – same subjects, same stimulus, and same place and so on. The other was
that subjects measured the sensibility directly. If sensibility was recorded automatically by machine, the result
may have supported the hypothesis more accurately.
5.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The results confirmed the hypothesis of left-handed people. That is, to left-handed people, left hand is more
sensitive than right hand because the right hemisphere is more active than left hemisphere. However, the results
didn’t approve the hypothesis of right-handed people. One of the reasons was that subjects couldn't response
equally to same stimulate. Another reason can be that the left brain is a major hemisphere to right-handed people
and the left hemisphere is involved with analytic process. That is, right-handed people may analyze the distance
instead of sensing directly. On the other hand, left-handed people may only sense the stimulus instead of
Sally P. Springer & George Deutsch, 『Left Brain, Right Brain』 Revised Edition, 1985, W. H. Freeman and
Company New York, p2
8
Sally P. Springer & George Deutsch, 『Left Brain, Right Brain』 Revised Edition, 1985, W. H. Freeman and
Company New York, p2
9
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analyzing indirectly. This is because of having a dominant right brain. Therefore, next study has to be related to
the difference between the left hemisphere to right-handed people and right hemisphere to left handed people.
APPENDICES
Figure 2.1
This picture shows the positions where the experiment was performed.
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Table 1
Left hand people
Palms
1 Left hand
Right hand
2 Left hand
Right hand
3 Left hand
Right hand
4 Left hand
Right hand
5 Left hand
Right hand
6 Left hand
Right hand
7 Left hand
Right hand
8 Left hand
Right hand
9 Left hand
Right hand
10 Left hand
Right hand
Back of one's hands
Thumbs
Index fingers
Middle fingers
Ring fingers
Little fingers
0.4cm
2.0 cm
0.5 cm
0.1 cm
0.7 cm
0.3 cm
0.0 cm
1.8 cm
1.7 cm
0.3 cm
1.4 cm
0.2 cm
0.3 cm
0.5 cm
0.6 cm
0.2 cm
0.3 cm
0.2 cm
0.3 cm
0.3 cm
0.1 cm
0.1 cm
0.1 cm
0.5 cm
0.3 cm
0.1 cm
0.4 cm
0.3 cm
0.8 cm
0.6 cm
0.6 cm
0.2 cm
0.7 cm
0.0 cm
0.3 cm
0.6 cm
1.7 cm
0.5 cm
0.0 cm
0.1 cm
0.2 cm
0.7 cm
0.3 cm
0.5 cm
0.2 cm
1.7 cm
0.0 cm
1.0 cm
0.4 cm
0.7 cm
0.9 cm
0.4 cm
0.8 cm
0.4 cm
0.8 cm
0.3 cm
0.3 cm
0.4 cm
0 cm
0.2 cm
0.6 cm
0.2 cm
0.9 cm
0.2 cm
0.3 cm
0.8 cm
0.7 cm
1.0 cm
0.2 cm
1.0 cm
1.9 cm
0.8 cm
2.4 cm
0.4 cm
0.7 cm
0.5 cm
0.1 cm
0.7 cm
1.0 cm
0.3 cm
0.7 cm
0.3 cm
0.5 cm
0.3 cm
0.3 cm
0.7 cm
0.1 cm
0.3 cm
0.8 cm
0.75 cm
0.2 cm
0.0 cm
0.5 cm
0.2 cm
0.8 cm
0.4 cm
0.7 cm
0.1 cm
0.9 cm
0.4 cm
0.3 cm
0.0 cm
0.6 cm
0.8 cm
0.2 cm
3.0 cm
1.3 cm
0 cm
0.7 cm
0.8 cm
0.4 cm
0.5 cm
0.6 cm
0.5 cm
0.4 cm
0.8 cm
0.6 cm
0.7 cm
0.4 cm
2.3 cm
0.6 cm
0.4 cm
0.4 cm
0.2 cm
0.5 cm
0.0 cm
0.5 cm
0.7 cm
0.8 cm
0.7 cm
0.9 cm
0.6 cm
0.3 cm
1.2 cm
0.3 cm
0.2 cm
1.3 cm
0.9 cm
0.4 cm
0.5 cm
This table shows how left-handed people reacted.
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Table 2
Right hand
1
Palms
Back of one's hands
Thumbs
Index fingers
Middle fingers
Ring fingers
Little fingers
Left hand
0.5cm
2.6cm
0.4cm
0.7cm
0.7cm
0.2cm
0.1cm
Right hand
1.5cm
0.7cm
0.4cm
0.2cm
2.0cm
0.2cm
0.6cm
0.5cm
1.1cm
0.3cm
0.1cm
0.3cm
0.0cm
0.7cm
0.1cm
1.0cm
0.1cm
0.2cm
0.2cm
0.3cm
0.3cm
0.2cm
0.7cm
0.5cm
0.2cm
0.2cm
0.1cm
0.7cm
1.5cm
0.3cm
0.2cm
0.0cm
0.0cm
0.0cm
0.0cm
1.9cm
2.3cm
0.1cm
0.2cm
0.3cm
0.0cm
0.3cm
1.2cm
1.1cm
1.8cm
0.0cm
0.6cm
1.2cm
1.3cm
0.8cm
1.8cm
0.5cm
0.4cm
0.8cm
1.2cm
1.3cm
0.3cm
1.7cm
0.3cm
0.2cm
0.2cm
0.0cm
0.4cm
0.5cm
0.8cm
1.3cm
0.4cm
0.2cm
0.0cm
0.3cm
0.7cm
1.0cm
0.4cm
0.6cm
1.3cm
1.2cm
0.3cm
2.2cm
1.9cm
1.0cm
0.2cm
2.8cm
1.8cm
1.2cm
2.2cm
1.0cm
3.0cm
1.0cm
1.4cm
1.8cm
1.4cm
0.7cm
0.3cm
1.0cm
0.2cm
0.2cm
0.1cm
0.9cm
0.2cm
0.1cm
0.2cm
0.7cm
0.2cm
0.4cm
0.9cm
0.7cm
0.2cm
0.5cm
0.5cm
0.2cm
3.0cm
0.3cm
2.8cm
1.5cm
0.2cm
0.4cm
0.3cm
0.0cm
0.0cm
1.4cm
1.4cm
0.9cm
0.7cm
0.5cm
0.6cm
0.6cm
0.8cm
2.0cm
0.8cm
0.4cm
0.2cm
0.5cm
0.0cm
2 Left hand
Right hand
3 Left hand
Right hand
4 Left hand
Right hand
5 Left hand
Right hand
6 Left hand
Right hand
7 Left hand
Right hand
8 Left hand
Right hand
9 Left hand
Right hand
10 Left hand
Right hand
This table shows how right-handed people reacted.
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References
Springer, Sally P. and Georg Deutsch. Left Brain, Right Brain. New York: W. H. Freeman, 1985. Print.
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