Synonyms
Directional orientation
Definition
The ability to discriminate left and right direction.
Current Knowledge
Right-left orientation refers to the ability to differentiate right-left directionality or location, typically referring to physical body parts of the individual as well as those of others. This is a developmental skill. Children are usually able to reliably identify the right and left sides of their own bodies by age 6 or 7 but might continue to have difficulty with more complex commands such as being asked to touch their left ear with their right hand. Task difficulty can be increased by requiring that the movements be carried out with the eyes closed. Even when this latter skill is mastered, usually by age 8 or 9, a few more years may be required before the child can consistently identify the right and left sides of someone facing them. Most adults can make personal as well as extrapersonal right-left discriminations, although slightly more women than men report minor...
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References and Readings
Benton, A. L. (1959). Right-left discrimination and finger localization: Development and pathology. New York: Hoeber-Harper.
Benton, A. L., & Sivan, A. B. (1993). Disturbances of the body schema. In K. M. Heilman & E. Valenstein (Eds.), Clinical neuropsychology (pp. 123–140). New York: Oxford University Press.
Benton, A. L., Hamsher, K. d. S., Varney, N. R., & Spreen, O. (1983). Contributions to neuropsychological assessment. New York: Oxford University Press.
Denburg, N. L., & Tranel, D. (2003). Acalculia and disturbances of body schema. In K. M. Heilman & E. Valenstein (Eds.), Clinical neuropsychology (pp. 161–184). New York: Oxford University Press.
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Kleiner, J.S. (2018). Right Left Disorientation. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_779
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_779
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