Mixed handedness and schizotypal personality in a non-clinical sample—The role of task demand

The present study examined the link between schizotypal personality traits and manual hand preference for ‘skilled’ and ‘less skilled’ tasks in a non-clinical sample of college students. The results are consistent with previous findings regarding the higher proportion of non-right handedness among college students who score high on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), a self-report measure of schizotypal traits. A significant correlation between hand preference for ‘skilled’ tasks and particular schizotypal traits associated with cognitive—perceptual deficits was noted. The analyses also indicate that unlike schizophrenic patients who exhibit a higher incidence of mixed handedness for ‘less skilled’ tasks (see Nelson, Satz, Green & Cicchetti, 1993), individuals who score high on the SPQ exhibit a higher incidence of non-right handedness for ‘skilled’ tasks. Examination of the stability of non-right handedness over time in this population indicates that at least some of the schizotypes did not maintain their non-right handedness upon retesting, supporting the role of situational variables on lateral dominance in this population.