Shift of Laterality and Compared Analysis of Paw Performances in Cats During Practice of a Visuomotor Task

Paw preference and performance were analyzed during early and late practice in 12 adult cats that reached toward a moving target. A strong preference for left-paw use was observed early in training. It was still present after practice despite a shift toward right-paw use. Comparing paw performance s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of comparative psychology (1983) 1996-09, Vol.110 (3), p.307-315
Main Authors: Lorincz, Erika, Fabre-Thorpe, Michèle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal
Animal behavior
Animal Limb
Animals
Attention
Cats
Dominance, Cerebral
Functional Laterality
Lateral Dominance
Male
Motor Processes
Movement
Orientation
Practice
Practice (Psychology)
Psychomotor Performance
Reaction Time
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Summary:Paw preference and performance were analyzed during early and late practice in 12 adult cats that reached toward a moving target. A strong preference for left-paw use was observed early in training. It was still present after practice despite a shift toward right-paw use. Comparing paw performance showed that the left paw was more accurate and quicker to trigger the movement during early practice, whereas after practice, it was the preferred paw (whether right or left) that triggered faster movement. The strong original left-paw bias could reflect the specialization of the right hemisphere in processing spatial information. Its weakening with practice could reflect the ability of the nonspecialized hemisphere to learn how to deal with the task.
ISSN:0735-7036
1939-2087
DOI:10.1037/0735-7036.110.3.307