[paul.fr]

I had four kids today two of them are left handed the others right handed. So i wondered if people could also be left footed and eared, i asked the four of them to stand in a line and then walk towards me. No clear result.

I then told each one i wanted to whisper something to them, the teo left handed girls offered me their right ear and the two right footed girls offered me there left ear. So maybe there is such a thing as being"eared"

Does anyone know anything about this? have large studies been made, or should i just let the kids play and not make them my subjects?

[another_someone]

Certainly I have heard anecdotal evidence that one can be left and right footed.

Even the issue of being left or right handed is complex, because although some people may have a preference for writing with one hand or the other, it is not always consistent that they would prefer to do everything with that hand, or that there would be any consistency necessarily between the things they would do with their right or their left hand.

Have never thought about whether someone could be classed as left or right eared, but clearly people do have preferences (although this may be for no better reason than they have better hearing in one ear than the other - but it may in some cases be due to better wiring between one ear and their language centre).  If someone does everything predominantly with one ear, then I would imagine it is as likely as not because they hear better with one ear than the other; but if they like to listen to language through one ear, but music, or some other sounds, through the other ear, then it could well be that one ear is better wired to the language centres of the brain while the other ear may be better wired to other functional centres in the brain.

[kdlynn]

paul tell them to hop on one foot and see which foot they use. having them pretend to talk on the phone could also work for the ear thing... where did you get FoUR kids? i was pretty sure you were just picking up one! oh, and did she let you brush her teeth?

[paul.fr]

Yes, George. It certainly fooled me, i was expecting the left handed kids to lead with their left foot. But that was not the case, what surprised me was the way they lead with their ears.

kadie, thanks for those suggestions. I will try them tomorrow. Why do i have four kids? well they all seem to want to come to mine to blow things up and such like.
Remember, kids are for life, not just experimenting on. Or something Witty, like that.

[another_someone]

Remember, kids are for life, not just experimenting on.

Or life is what you get after experimenting on them.

(at her majesties pleasure)

[paul.fr]

Remember, kids are for life, not just experimenting on.

Or life is what you get after experimenting on them.

(at her majesties pleasure)

i am tempted to reply with a LOL, but that may not be appropriate.

[paul.fr]

paul tell them to hop on one foot and see which foot they use. having them pretend to talk on the phone could also work for the ear thing... where did you get FoUR kids? i was pretty sure you were just picking up one! oh, and did she let you brush her teeth?

I tried this, the results were inconclusive. I really should get a bigger sample size, but i would end up killing some of them. Four is my limit.

[Karen W.]

I had four kids today two of them are left handed the others right handed. So i wondered if people could also be left footed and eared, i asked the four of them to stand in a line and then walk towards me. No clear result.


I then told each one i wanted to whisper something to them, the teo left handed girls offered me their right ear and the two right footed girls offered me there left ear. So maybe there is such a thing as being"eared"

Does anyone know anything about this? have large studies been made, or should i just let the kids play and not make them my subjects?

Keep observing that. It is interesting.. I an right handed and lead with my right foot especially going down stairs.. something I have noticed about my self. Children between 3 to five seem to be a bit ambidextrous, same with their feet. It is a time when they can actually display both and it is quite normal I believe for this to take place. Nothing alarming and I feel good for them if not pushed either way children will or can become quite ambidextrous! sorry bout the spelling!

[pronk48]

I am righthanded but as far back as I can remember,I have always been "left eared".I always hold the phone up to my left ear,I just cannot hold it on the right.Also my left eye has always been the dominant one,like when looking through a camera for instance.And when I walk on any steps,I always step up or down left leg first.

It certainly would be interesting to see the results of some kind of controlled study into it.

[neilep]

Here's a link to a non unrelated thread:

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=1478.0