Honors Thesis Archive

Author	James Martin
Title	Interhemispheric interaction and degree of handedness in relation to social, political, gender, and philosophical beliefs in undergraduates
Department	Psychology
Advisor	Jo Wilson
Year	2007
Honors	University Honors
Full Text	View Thesis (89 KB)
Abstract	Research has suggested that brain hemispheres play different roles in processing belief systems, the RH serving to update beliefs while LH acts to hold beliefs constant (Ramachandran, 1995). Degree of handedness is thought to be directly related to amount of interhemispheric interaction in the brain (Christman, 2001). Niebauer (2004) correlated degree of handedness with beliefs in creationism and evolutionism, finding that mixed-handers ascribed to the more progressive belief of evolutionism, and strong-handers to the more conservative belief of creationism. The current study replicated Niebauer's study and additionally sought to find similar correlations between mixed-handedness and progressive beliefs in the areas of egalitarianism, political ideology, and moral traditionalism. No significant correlations (merely several trends) are established between handedness and belief systems.