Limb laterality study

It is still unknown how children distinguish the left side of their body from the right side of their body.

Limb laterality is better understood through experiments in which adults viewed images of the left or right side of the body and made judgments about which side of the body the images belonged to. These judgments are known as ‘left-right judgments‘.

The University of New South Wales and Neuroscience Research Australia are currently conducting an on-line research experiment to evaluate ‘left-right judgment’ in children. Being able to quickly identify parts of your body helps us to function normally in the world. Knowing how long this takes on average, and therefore what is ‘normal’ will help us identify people who might require specific treatments to improve their functioning.

It is hoped that with a deeper understanding of left-right judgments in children, and observing how these judgements affect motor functions, researchers will be able to improve rehabilitation therapies in the future.

The practical details of this experiment:

• Location: At your computer, in your home
• Duration of trial: Maximum of 20 minutes
• What do I have to do? – Perform an online task,. The study will investigate how well people can recognise parts of their body such as hands, feet and face.
• What do you get? – Benefits of future therapies which may result from the research
• Am I eligible for this research? – You must have a child, whom you give permission to participate, aged between 5 and 18.

Follow this link if you would like to volunteer for this study.

Participants can opt to receive a laboratory newsletter, detailing publications and lay description of the main outcomes of the study.
By contributing to our research we will better understand motor function in children, this may lead to future therapeutic developments.