Left-Right Orientation in Profile Drawing

In a recent study of handedness and mirror-drawing Ross pointed out that his results were inconclusive because all of his (students at Bucknell University), regardless of handedness, were under the same cultural disposition to write and to read from left to right.1 He expressed the belief that these motor and perceptual habits, impressed upon his by their culture, conditioned his results. He was, therefore, of the opinion that Ss from other cultures who read and write from right to left should be included in the study . . . before final interpretations are justifiable. The cultural effect of left to right reading was also indicated in Malter's study of children's ability to read a process diagram.2 He found that 86% of the children who failed to locate the starting place, started at the upper left-hand of the illustration. This result also suggests that orientation in drawing is related to instruction in reading and writing.