1

Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

A. Statement of the Problem

The term brain lateralization refers to the fact that although the human brain

is composed of two identical hemispheres in appearance, they are not exactly alike in

their cognitive and neural functions. Each hemisphere has functional specializations,

some function whose neural mechanisms are localized primarily in one half of the brain.

Handedness refers to the natural or biological preference for using one hand

more than the other in performing different tasks. People are said to be left-handed if

they mostly use, and are more comfortable with their left hand for performing different

tasks, and vise-versa for right-handed persons.

Studies propose that the link between the brain lateralization and handedness

has various effects on ones behavior and abilities. There are different points of views

about its effects. Popular culture has become fond of the idea that people and their

native abilities may be described as either right or left brained. No doubt left handedness

is associated with a lot of disadvantages but various studies have shown that left-

handedness is also associated with enhanced abilities. Increase in ratio of left handers

can produce a corresponding intellectual advance and leap in the number of

mathematical sporting or artistic geniuses. The reason is that right handers have genes

that force their brains into a slightly more one sided structure but brains of left handers

are more symmetric where the two sides are more equal which enhances persons

abilities (McManus, 1997).

A common belief suggests that left-handed people are more intelligent or

creative than right-handed people. While there is an unresolved debate within the

scientific community on how to operationalize intelligence and creativity, some studies

 2

have demonstrated a small positive correlation between left-handedness and creativity

and / or intelligence.

In this pursuit, the researchers would like to study what does handedness have

to do with brain specialization and to examine to what extent does left-handedness is

linked to art and creativity. It is for the reason that the researchers want to seek answers

for the following research questions: What are the common traits among left handed

students of UPVTC, A.Y. 2015-2016, 2nd Semester? What are the dominant traits

among right handed students? What is the relationship between ones handedness and

its brains functional specialization? And as to what extent does this relationship

applicable to the respondents of this research?

B. Research Objectives

1. To determine the relationship between ones handedness and brains

functional specialization.

2. To identify the common traits among left handed students, as well as among

right handed students of the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College.

3. To determine the extent by which the relationship of handedness and brain

lateralization applicable to the selected respondents from UPVTC, A.Y. 2015-2016,

2nd Semester.

C. Rationale

This study is significant because it has the ability to provide an understanding

on how brain lateralization and handedness are related to each other. The results of this

study will be able to provide information about the applicability of the stated
 3

relationship among UPVTC students. Moreover, this study will be able to aid other

researchers interested in conducting research of the same field.

D. Scope and Limitations

This study is limited to the determination of the relationship between

handedness and brains functional specialization and how this relationship apply among

students of UPVTC, Second Semester, AY 2015-16, who are made as respondents.

They will be asked to accomplish a survey questionnaires provided by the researchers.

The data that will be gathered will only be representative of the selected sample.

E. Definition of Terms

Handedness - A persons handedness is the hand used for activities that require

a lot of practice and fine motor skills, or the coordination of large muscle groups to

carry out smooth actions.

Lefties/left-handers- left-handed persons

Righties/right-handers- right-handed persons

Brain Lateralization- The division of the human brain into two parts or

hemisphere with both parts having its corresponding functional specializations.

Functional Specialization (brainedness)- different areas in the brain is

specialized for different function. Functions such as:

Left-brain functions Right-brain functions

Analytical thought Thought

Logic Intuition
Language Creativity
Science and Math Arts and Music
Rationality Risk-taking
Objectivity Impetuous
Reality-based Fantasy-based
 4

Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Handedness and Brain Lateralization

Handedness is the dominance of one hand over the other, or the unequal

distribution of fine motor skills between the left and right hands. It refers to the

tendency of humans to be more dextrous or skilled with one hand over the other, or

sometimes merely the preference of one hand over the other. It is usually used with

reference to fine motor skills and the performance of manual tasks, particularly

everyday activities such as writing, throwing, etc.1 This is also called lateral

dominance. Some scientists believe that there are only two types of handedness: the

righties and the non-righties; however, an internet article by Luke Mastin entitled, Right

Left, Right Wrong: An investigation of Handedness-Some Facts, Myth, Truths,

Opinions and Research identified five main types of lateral dominance.

The following were the types of handedness presented in the article by Mastin,

quoted and obtained by the researchers. To incorporate a cohesive data, the researchers

put the elements in a table format, below:

1
Luke Mastin, An investigation of Handedness-Some Facts, Myth, Truths, Opinion and
Research, Right Left Right Wrong, 2012,< http://www.rightleftrightwrong.com/what.html>
 5

On the other hand, brain lateralization refers to the fact that the left and right

sides of the brain are not the same. The two sides differ in their anatomy, and also in

what they do2 The brain is cross-wired so that the left hemisphere controls the right

handed side of the body and vice-versa and hand dominance is connected with brain

dominance on the opposite side. See Figure 1.

However, studies show that the learning and thinking process is enhanced when

both side of the brain participate in a balanced manner. Left-handers are distinct from

right-handers in that they tend to have less lateralization in the brainAlthough left-

2
Willems and Francks, Your left-handed brain,
<http://kids.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frym.2014.00013 2014>
 6

sided language areas in the brain are still important in left-handers, the difference

between left and right sides tends to be less strong.3

Figure 1. Brain Organization and Hand Dominance

The left hemisphere controls the right hand and speech, language, writing, logic,

mathematics, and science. The right hemisphere controls the left hand and inclined with

music, art, creativity, perception, and emotions. Although the general structure of the

brain might be similar in most individuals, this does not mean that left-handedness will

result in right-side dominance of the brain. There are many factors and varying degrees

of lateralization involved in determining hemispheric dominance as well as

handedness.4

Related Studies on Handedness

According to the study of Dassonville, Zhu, UGUrbil, Seong, and Ashe,

Handedness is the clearest example of behavioral lateralization in humans. It is not

3
Willems and Franks
3
Serendip Studio, Dominace, Handedness and Lateralization in Terms of Individuality, 24
February 2009, < http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/3905>
 7

known whether the obvious asymmetry manifested by hand preference is associated

with similar asymmetry in brain activation during movement. We examined the

functional activation in cortical motor areas during movement of the dominant and non-

dominant hand in groups of right-handed and left-handed subjects and found that use

of the dominant hand was associated with a greater volume of activation in the

contralateral motor cortex. Furthermore, there was a separate relation between the

degree of handedness and the extent of functional lateralization in the motor cortex.

The patterns of functional activation associated with the direction and degree of

handedness suggest that these aspects are independent and are coded separately in the

brain. 5

Functional hemispheric asymmetries are examined for the right-or left-handed

men and women. Based on the journal article of Hellige, Bloch, Cowin, Lee, Tami,

Eviatar, and Sergent, Tasks involved (1) auditory processing of verbal material, (2)

processing of emotions shown on faces, (3) processing of visual categorical and

coordinate spatial relations, and (4) visual processing of verbal material. Similar

performance asymmetries were found for the right-handed and left-handed groups, but

the average asymmetries tended to be smaller for the left-handed group. For the most

part, measures of performance asymmetry obtained from the different tasks did not

correlate with each other, suggesting that individual Ss cannot be simply characterized

as strongly or weakly lateralized. However, ear differences obtained in Task 1 did

correlate significantly with certain visual field differences obtained in Task 4,

5
Paul Dassonville, Xiao-Hong Zhu, Kamil UGUrbil, Seong-Gi Kim, and James Ashe,
Functional Activation in Motor Cortex Reflex the Direction and the Degree of Handedness,
<http://pages.uoregon.edu/prd/pdfs/Dassonville_PNAS97.pdf>
 8

suggesting that both tasks are sensitive to hemispheric asymmetry in similar phonetic

or language-related processes.6

In the study conducted by McManus, Davison, and Armour, Right and left-

handedness run in families, it shows many features that suggests it is under genetic

control. It shows greater concordance in monozygotic than dizygotic twins, and are well

described by single-locus Mendelian models. This study is about the multilocus genetic

models of handedness in family data that are compatible with genome-wide association.

The genome-wide association study (GWAS) had 99% power to detect a single locus

using the conventional criterion of P < 5 108 for the single locus models of

McManus and Annett. The strong conclusion is that handedness is not controlled by a

single genetic locus. A consideration of the genetic architecture of height, primary

ciliary dyskinesia, and intelligence suggests that handedness inheritance can be

explained by a multilocus variant of the McManus DC model, classical effects on

family and twins being barely distinguishable from the single locus model. Based on

the ENGAGE meta-analysis of GWASs, we estimate at least 40 loci are involved in

determining handedness. 7

Relationship Between a Persons Handedness and Skills, Talents,

and Personal Inclinations

The human brain is split into two similar hemispheres which are separated by

the deep longitudinal broad band of nerve fibers called the Corpus callosum. It is also

known to be cross-wired, meaning that the left hemisphere controls the movement on

6
Joseph B. Hellige et al., American Psychological Association Psyc Net., Individual
Variation in Hemispheric Asymmetry: Multitask Study of Effects Related to Handedness and Sex,
<http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/xge/123/3/235/>
7
I. C. McManus, Angus Davison, and John A. L. Armour, ANNALS of the NEW YORK
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, Multilocus Genetic Models of Handedness Closelyresemble Single-
locus Models in Explaining Family Data and are Compatible with Genome-wide Association Studies,
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.12102/epdf>
 9

the right side of the body and the right hemisphere controls the movement on the left

side of the body. Most, but not all, of the different parts, structures, and lobes of the

brain have a left and right hemisphere element and communication between these two

hemispheres is achieved also through the corpus callosum; effectively making two half-

brains into a full, whole brain.

Although in physical appearance and structure, the two hemispheres look alike,

they are not completely alike. Both hemispheres tend to have a few functional

specializations, wherein the neural mechanisms of a particular brain or bodily function

are localized primarily or mostly in a certain hemisphere, either the right or the left

hemisphere of the brain.8 An example of this is the two areas of the brain where speech

formation and language comprehension are processed (Brocas area and Wernickes

area respectively),9 both of which are located in the left hemisphere of the brain;

logical, mathematical, and analytical processing are also carried out in this hemisphere,

while emotion processing, spatial recognition, face recognition, sense perception, and

artistic functions are found to be carried out in the right hemisphere of the brain.

This lateralization of the brain is where the split-brain theory got its main argument

from. The split brain theory studied by Psychologist Roger Sperry suggests that the two

different hemispheres of the brain specialize in different physical and cognitive

functions.10 Ultimately the split brain theory suggest that the two hemispheres have

different functions and inclinations depending on which hemisphere is more dominant;

8
M.K Holder, What Does Handedness Have To Do With Brain Lateralization?,2005,
< http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/brain.html>
9
Anna O., Broca's area vs. Wernicke's area,
<https://askwonder.com/q/brocas-area-vs-wernickes-area-55392b58ed1d710800d80a00>
10
AS Psychology, Sperry, R.W. (1968) Hemisphere Deconnection and Unity in
Consciousness,
< http://www.holah.karoo.net/sperrystudy.htm>
 10

people can be classified into two groups depending on their dominant hemisphere, left-

brainers and right brainers. The theory suggests that left-brainers are known to be more

inclined to excel in analytic processing, logic, language, science and math. While right-

brainers and known to be more inclined to excel when it comes to holistic thought,

intuition, creativity, arts and music. As proven already through studies about the human

brain, we know that t0he right hemisphere controls the left side of our body and the left

hemisphere controls the right side of our body thus creating the correlation between a

persons handedness and their personal skills, talents, and inclinations.11

Handedness Statistics

Around 10% of the people around the world prefers to use their left hand for

manual actions such as writing. In the liberal culture of the Western world (North

America and Western Europe) closest approximation for left-handedness is about 12%.

However, in cultures that practice traditionalism, such as Asian, Muslim and Latin

American countries, the levels are likely to be much less. For instance, Asian countries

like Korea (2%), Japan (3%) and Taiwan (5%) have the lowest rates of left-handedness,

possibly reflecting the systematic discouragement of left-handedness that is still

existent in these countries.12

Overall, the available statistics indicated that there are at least 20 million in the

United States and 500 million lefties or left-handed people in the planet. 13

11
Michael Price, The Left Brain Knows What the Right Hand Is Doing, American
Psychological Association, 2016, <http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/01/brain.aspx>
12
Luke Mastin.
13
http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/basic_15/HB01796.pdf
 11

Chapter III

METHODOLOGY

A. Research Locale

This study was conducted at the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban

College (UPVTC) campus, Magsaysay Blvd., Tacloban City.

B. Research Respondents

The respondents of this study were the 60---30 were Left-handed and another

30 were Right-handed, selected students of UPVTC, Second Semester, AY 2015-2016.

C. Sampling Scheme

The researcher utilized the following procedures in determining individual

research respondents:

1. To determine the population, the researchers asked for the number of

officially enrolled students from the Office of the College Secretary of

UPVTC for the Second Semester, AY 2015-2016.

2. Sampling weights worth 5% of the colleges student population was

applied, equally distributed in each year level, however, respondents

from the 5th year were not available to participate in the study.

3. The researchers utilized the Convenience Sampling procedure in

identifying respondents. As the name implies, it is a specific type of non-

probability sampling method that relies on data collection from

population members who were conveniently available to participate in

study. Please refer to Table 1 as shown on the next page for the actual

sample sizes.
 12

Table 1. Number of Samples in each Year Level

ACTUAL SAMPLE SIZE

YEAR LEVEL
Left Handed Right Handed

Batch Kaugmaon 6 6

Batch Hadianon 6 6

Batch Sinugdanan 6 6

Batch Hinungdan 6 6

5 and Up 6 6

TOTAL 30 30

Table 1 illustrates the sample sizes classified according to year levels, identified

by the researchers among the 1, 218 officially-enrolled undergraduate students of the

UPVTC AY 2015 2016, 2nd Semester.

D. Research Instruments

This study made use of descriptive survey method. A self-administered survey

questionnaire was used to determine the relationship of handedness to the brains

functional specialization among the students where they rated each

situation/reason/cause presented.

The survey questionnaire consisted of the following parts:

1. Demographic Profile

2. Open Hemispheric Brain Dominance Scale (OHBDS)14, a measure of

hypothesized left brain versus right brain preference.

3. Situational Case, measures the left and right brain cognitive style

14
Eric Jorgenson (2015). "Development of the Open Hemispheric Brain Dominance
Scale". <http://personality-testing.info/tests/OHBDS/development/>
 13

E. Units of Analysis

The unit of analysis of this study were the actual responses indicated by the

research respondents on the self-administered questionnaire.

F. Statistical Treatment

All the data gathered from the respondents were organized, tallied, tabulated and

presented in a series of tables and graphs.

The responses of the students in Part II were analyzed using a 5-point Likert

Scale with the following equivalent:

1 Strongly Disagree

2 Disagree

3 -Undecided

4 Agree

5 Strongly Agree

Scoring Instructions:

Take the values for the test form and move them into the two equations below.

A = ___ + ___ + ___ + ___ + ___ + ___ + ___ + ____ + ____ + ___ + ___ = _____

(Q1) (Q2) (Q3) (Q5) (Q8) (Q10) (Q11) (Q12) (Q14) (Q18) (Q20)

B = ___ + ___ + ___ + ___ + ___ + ___ + ___ + ____ + ___ = _____

(Q4) (Q6) (Q7) (Q9) (Q13) (Q15) (Q16) (Q17) (Q19)

Compute the values for A and B then put them into the equation below.

X = 66 - _____ + _____

(A) (B)
 14

X is the final score or the respondent. It should be between 20 and 100. Score indicators

are as follows:

Score Indication

65-100 (Higher scores) Right-brained Thinking/Dominance

56-64 (Average scores) No Clear Preference

20-55 (Lower scores) Left-brained Thinking/Dominance

The result of the respondents for Part III will be analyzed by comparing the score

accumulated from the responses of each individual for ten situational questions whether

they are leaning towards Right brain or leaning towards Left brain.

Simple frequency counts, percentage weight values and measures of central

tendency (in this case we used the mode as the measure of central tendency) were

utilized in the analysis, presentation and interpretation of data obtained from Part II and

Part III of the research instrument.

 15

Chapter IV
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A. Data Collection

Questionnaires were prepared by the researchers as the instrument for data

collection. The questionnaire was divided into three sub-parts that will help the

researchers identify the relationship between the handedness of the selected students

and their brain preference. The sampling method used by the researchers was

convenient sampling because of the subjects convenient accessibility and proximity to

researchers. It was rest assured that the sample was representative of the total

population.

B. Statistical Treatment of Data

The study targeted 60 respondents, that is 5% of the total student population of

the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban College. Sixty questionnaires were

reproduced and distributed to the selected respondents. However, only 80% or 48 out

of 60 respondents responded.

C. Results

The first part of the questionnaire includes the demographics of the respondents.

Respondents were equally chosen from all year-levels. Gender Classification (See

Figure 2) and the degree program (See Figure 3) which the respondents belong were

collected.
 16

2%
13%
2% 35 13%
29%

63 %
17% 10%
%
6% 10%

BS Management BS Biology BASS Economics

Male Female No Answer BA Communication Arts BS Accountancy BASS Political Science
BA Psychology BS Computer Science

Figure 2. Gender Classification of the Figure 3. Degree Program of the

Students Students

The sample consists of 50% left-handed and 50% right-handed students. Gender-

wise, majority of the respondents were females (63%), while 35% were males. Majority

of the students were from the degree of Bachelor of Science in Management which

consists of 29% of the total sample size.

The second part of the questionnaire was designed to identify the traits and

characteristics common among left-handed respondents, as well as with the right-

handed ones. Each question was coded as to which brain hemisphere it pertains.

The statements presented in Table 2 illustrate the traits in the second part of the

research instrument associated to the left hemisphere of the brain. This table represents

the 24 left-handed students in the UPV Tacloban College who responded to the

questionnaire.
 17

Table 2. Left-brained Preference Statements (Lefties)

The following summarizes the results presented in Table 2.

Statement 1- 46% of the participants (n=24) does not need others praise.

Statement 2- 29% of the participants (n=24) agrees and strongly agrees that they

prefer a class in Mathematics than in Humanities.

Statement 3- 38% of the participants (n=24) disagree that they never show up

late.

Statement 5- 38% of the participants (n=24) are undecided that they could not

live in a mess.
 18

Statement 8- 33% of the participants (n=24) are undecided and disagrees that

they can behave in a business-like manner.

Statement 10- 29% of the participants (n=24) agree that they are not easily

disturbed by events.

Statement 11- 25% of the participants (n=24) strongly disagree that they rarely

cry during sad movies.

Statement 12- 50% of the participants (n=24) agree that they can plan life

logically.

Statement 14- 29% of the participants (n=24) are undecided if they can make

decision based on facts, not feelings.

Statement 18- 42% of the participants (n=24) agree that they prize logic above

all else.

Statement 20- 33% of the participants (n=24) agree that they are calm even in

tense situations.

The following results were taken from the responses of the 24 right-handed

respondents. (See Table 3)

Statement 1- 50% of the participants (n=24) agree that they do not need others

praise.

Statement 2- 38% of the participants (n=24) agrees that they prefer a class in

Mathematics than in Humanities.

Statement 3- 42% of the participants (n=24) disagree that they never show up

late.
 19

Statement 5- 33% of the participants (n=24) agree and disagree that they could

not live in a mess.

Statement 8- 50% of the participants (n=24) are undecided that they can

behave in a business-like manner.

Statement 10- 29% of the participants (n=24) are undecided, agree, and disagree

that they are not easily disturbed by events.

Statement 11- 33% of the participants (n=24) disagree that they rarely cry

during sad movies.

Statement 12- 42% of the participants (n=24) agree that they can plan life

logically.

Statement 14- 38% of the participants (n=24) are undecided and agree that they

can make decision based on facts, not feelings.

Statement 18- 42% of the participants (n=24) are undecided that they prize

logic above all else.

Statement 20- 58% of the participants (n=24) agree that they are calm even in

tense situations.
 20

Table 3. Left-brained Preference Statements (Righties)

The results for the statements that fall under the right-brained hemisphere (Table 4)
were the following.
Statement 4- 50% of the participants (n=24) disagree that they do not bother to

the read instructions before starting to put something together.

Statement 6- 54% of the participants (n=24) agrees that they are totally random.

Statement 7- 38% of the participants (n=24) agree that they like working with

words.

Statement 9- 42% of the participants (n=24) agree that they can come up with

something new.
 21

Statement 13- 46% of the participants (n=24) agree that they need a creative

outlet.

Statement 15- 33% of the participants (n=24) are undecided and agree that they

make a mess of things.

Statement 16- 54% of the participants (n=24) agree that they get stressed out

easily.

Statement 17- 38% of the participants (n=24) are undecided if they are romantic.

Statement 19- 38% of the participants (n=24) disagree that they often forget to

put things back in their proper place.

Table 4. Right-Brained Preference Statements (Lefties)

 22

Table 5. Right-brained Preference Statements (Righties)

The summary of the results presented in Table 5 were as follows:

Statement 4- 46% of the participants (n=24) disagree that they do not bother to

the read instructions before starting to put something together.

Statement 6- 42% of the participants (n=24) strongly agrees that they are totally

random.

Statement 7- 33% of the participants (n=24) agree that they like working with

words.
 23

Statement 9- 67% of the participants (n=24) agree that they can come up with

something new.

Statement 13- 63% of the participants (n=24) agree that they need a creative

outlet.

Statement 15- 29% of the participants (n=24) are undecided and agree that they

make a mess of things.

Statement 16- 46% of the participants (n=24) agree that they get stressed out

easily.

Statement 17- 29% of the participants (n=24) disagree that they are romantic.

Statement 19- 33% of the participants (n=24) agree that they often forget to put

things back in their proper place.

The third part of the questionnaire is made up of 10 situational questions generated

and formulated based on the split brain theory. Each question has three choices the

participants may choose from. The questions were divided by the number of answers

associated to either the left or the right hemisphere, Items number 1,3,4,6, and 8 have

two choices which links with the functions of the right hemisphere and the other with

the left hemisphere. Item 2,5,7,9 and 10 have two choices that correlate with the left

hemisphere and one which correlates with the right.

The results of the right-handed respondents were separated from that of the left-

handers. Table 6 shown in the next page summarizes the results using frequencies of

left-handers response in Part III of the questionnaire. Table 7 in page 26, on the other

hand summarizes the right-handers response on the same part in the questionnaire.
 24

Table 6. Situational Analysis (Lefties)

 25

Question 1- 63% of the participants (n=24) use significant figures and structures

when they give directions to someone.

Question 2- 42% of the participants (n=24) list their projects in order of

importance and go through each one until every project has been completed

when assigned a handful of projects.

Question 3- 54% of the participants (n=24) are not fully aware where all their

quizzes and important papers are.

Question 4- 50% of the participants (n=24) press buttons and experiment when

given a new gadget they do not know how to use yet.

Question 5- 63% of the participants (n=24) research the model they want for

reliability and safety purposes and assess whether the price is reasonable.

Question 6- 75% of the participants (n=24) would describe in detail with the

help of a picture when trying to explain to a tailor how they would want their

dress/suit to look.

Question 7- 54% of the participants (n=24) organize their clothes according to

style and each type of clothing also has its own space in their closet.

Question 8- 38% of the participants (n=24) are bothered by both the tone of

voice and the words used when someone makes a bad joke directed at them.

Question 9- 50% of the participants (n=24) sometimes understand the punchline

when they encounter, puns, punchlines, and metaphors.

Question 10- Choice A, B, and C garnered 33% each of the total 100% (n=24)

of the total number of answers for question 10.

 26

Table 7. Situational Analysis (Righties)

 27

Question 1- 67% of the participants (n=24) use significant figures and structures

when they give directions to someone.

Question 2- 46% of the participants (n=24) list their projects in order of

importance and go through each one until every project has been completed

when assigned a handful of projects.

Question 3- 54% of the participants (n=24) are not fully aware where all their

quizzes and important papers are.

Question 4- 71% of the participants (n=24) press buttons and experiment when

given a new gadget they do not know how to use yet.

Question 5- 67% of the participants (n=24) research the model they want for

reliability and safety purposes and assess whether the price is reasonable.

Question 6- 79% of the participants (n=24) would describe in detail with the

help of a picture when trying to explain to a tailor how they would want their

dress/suit to look.

Question 7- 54% of the participants (n=24) organize their clothes according to

style and each type of clothing also has its own space in their closet.

Question 8- 54% of the participants (n=24) are bothered by both the tone of

voice and the words used when someone makes a bad joke directed at them.

Question 9- 54% of the participants (n=24) almost understand the punchline

when they encounter, puns, punchlines, and metaphors.

Question 10- 54% of the participants (n=24) would prefer that the storyteller

summarize the story and add in a few details.

 28

42% 25% 21%

58%
33% 21%

No Clear Preference No Clear Preference

Left- Brained Preference Left-brained Prefernce

Right-Brained Preference Right-brained Preference

Figure 2. Right-handed Students Figure 3. Left-handed Students

Hemispheric Dominance Hemispheric Dominance

With all the results presented above, the hemispheric dominance of the

respondents, the left-handers and right-handers respectively, was then calculated. The

results show that the strong left-handed subjects demonstrated a positive incidence of

right-hemisphere dominance. 33% of the left-handers (Figure 3) and 21% of the right-

handed samples (Figure 4) show left-brain dominance. However, it can also be noted

that one-fourth (25%) of the left-handers (Figure 3) and 21% of the right-handers

(Figure 4) show no clear brain preference. Overall, majority of the left-handers (42%)

were under right-hemisphere dominance (Figure 3). More than 50% of the right-

handed respondents show incidence of right-brain dominance.

 29

Chapter V

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A. Summary

The human brain is split down the middle, dividing it into two halves, in the late

1970s that idea that individuals would have a preference for one hemisphere like they

do for handedness became popular. In this pursuit, this study aimed to determine what

handedness (of selected UPVTC students) has to do with brainedness when viewed

to a much more basic perspective. To accomplish that goal, it became necessary to reach

some prerequisite goals. Determining what handedness and brains lateralization means

and how the two is connected with each other assumed a high degree of importance

during the literature review conducted for this dissertation. Related to that effort, it

became necessary to reach awareness about some statistics from past studies with

respect to handedness. To provide for the possibility of the perceived relationship of

handedness and brainedness, it was important to develop a model for this study. Once

these fundamental steps were achieved, this research was able to go forward. This

chapter reports the conclusions and recommendations that resulted from this study.

A survey instrument was developed and distributed to the selected left-handed

and right-handed students of the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban

College. Respondents were to rate the level of agreement or disagreement from the

items in OHBD Scale in the second part of the research instrument. For the third part

they are to choose among the choices provided what would they do in case placed in

that situation. Through the use of the survey instrument developed for this study, data

were collected which addressed the research problems posed in the first chapter of this

dissertation.
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B. Conclusions

What are the common traits among left handed students of UPVTC, A.Y. 2015-

2016, 2nd Semester?

What are the dominant traits among right handed students?

The results of the studyThe study shows that there is no significant relationship

between brainedness and handedness.

C. Recommendations Further Study

The following recommendations are offered as possible ways to improve this study.

1. The use of convenience sampling may not be enough method to effectively

determine the respondents. Results gathered may not be representative of the

entire population so it is recommended that the use of other sampling techniques

may be considered for a lower level of sampling error.

2. It is suggested that future researchers should consider widening the scope of

research respondents to have more varying responses from the research

respondents.
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