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Handedness in the common marmoset ( Callithrix jacchus )
Author(s) -
Rothe Hartmut
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.1330380267
Subject(s) - marmoset , callithrix , preference , psychology , callitrichidae , test (biology) , preference test , hand preference , developmental psychology , audiology , laterality , biology , medicine , mathematics , ecology , statistics
For about 20 months the development of hand preferences in 21 experimentally naive common marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus ) was examined in 15 different tests. Test preferences were compared with their spontaneous behavior preferences in such contexts as feeding, grooming, play, and others. In the spontaneous use of the hands, only eight animals showed a significant lateral preference (2 left‐handed, 6 right‐handed). During the test period, however, the number of handed marmosets increased to 19 (5 left‐handed, 14 right‐handed). Most of the animals fluctuated considerably in their preference levels, a situation which led to a remarkable test response inconsistency of handedness. When the test situation was changed, complete reversals of handedness were more frequent than weakening or strengthening of a particular preference. The animals' emotions during the test session and environmental variables affected handedness significantly. None of the tested marmosets showed an increase of hand preference from the first to the last test. Our results indicate that Callithrix is ambidextrous rather than handed.