Do Left-Handed People Have Better Memories?

Grade Level: 6th to 8th; Type: Social Science

Objective:

This experiment will investigate whether left-handed test subjects have better memories than right-handed participants.

Research Question:

• Do left-handed people have better memories?

Some research suggests that lefties may be better than righties at certain memory tasks. This experiment will evaluate this premise by asking left-handed and right-handed test subjects to perform several memory tests.

Materials:

• Approximately 40 test subjects (10 female lefties, 10 male lefties, 10 female righties, and 10 male righties)
• Computer
• Printer
• Notebook for analyzing results

Experimental Procedure:

1. Create several memory tests to give participants. Example tests include the following:
   • Read a list of 25 items. After 10 minutes, ask participants to write down as many of these items as they can remember.
   • Show a picture containing many items. Allow participants to study it for 1 minute. After an hour, ask test subjects to list items that they observed in the picture.
   • Ask test subjects to describe the weather from each day over the past week.
2. Ask left-handed and right-handed test subjects to take your memory tests. Record the results from each test.
3. Analyze the results from each test. Overall, which group performed best on the memory tests? Is there a specific test where one group outperformed the other?

Example: If the left-handed group specifically outperformed the right-handed group on the test where they are asked to describe the weather from each day over the past week, then you could conclude that left-handed people might have better long term memories.

Terms/Concepts: handedness and memory

References: ScienceAGoGo.com. “Lefties Have a Better Memory.”