Handedness and psychophysics: weight and roughness.

A sample of 20 men (10 right-handed, 10 left-handed) was selected. Using the method of constant stimuli, the number of correct responses and the differential threshold for weight and roughness for both hands, were studied. The findings were: (1) In the weight test, the number of correct responses was greater and the differential threshold lower in the right-handed than in the left-handed subjects, and the preferred hand was superior to the nonpreferred hand for both groups; (2) In the roughness test, the number of correct responses was greater and the differential threshold lower for the nonpreferred hand. Implications of these findings with regard to our present knowledge of handedness organization are analyzed.