Meta Analysis

The almost explosive rate of growth in the research literature makes it increasingly diffi-cult for scientists to find the underpinning knowledge that the results carry; even more so when findings are confusing and conflicting. Literature reviews could never hope to han-dle such an abundance of data.

Meta-analysis is a statistical method allowing for the integration and summarizing of the findings from a body of research in a clear, objective way. Importantly, meta-analysis al-lows for the assessment of any systematic variation among the results of different studies and, moreover, for the investigation of the sources of any such variance. Large-scale, high-ly powered meta-analyses can further help address the reproducibility issues that are at the forefront of scientific discussion within psychological research.

We have been applying meta-analytic methods in the field of laterality, a field overrun by the amount of published studies, with a special focus on handedness. To date, we have investi-gated the prevalence of handedness, the sex differences in handedness, the prevalence of atypical handedness in populations with special educational needs (e.g., hearing impaired, Autism Spectrum, low or high intelligence) as well as in animals, and further investigated questions such as cradling laterality. We have also supported projects in terms of meta-analytic methods in the fields of mathematical cognition and ne-gotiations.

Relevant publications:

Papadatou-Pastou, M., Ntolka, E., Schmitz, J., Martin, M., Munafo, M. R., Ocklenburg, S., & Paracchini, S. (2020). Human handedness: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, in press. Doi

Packheiser, J., Schmitz, J., Berretz, G., Rook, N., Abdelkader Serir, A., Papadatou-Pastou, M., & Ocklenburg, O. (2019). Handedness and sex effects on lateral biases in human cradling: Three meta-analyses. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 104, 30-42. Doi

Ocklenburg, S., Isparta, S., Peterburs, J., & Papadatou-Pastou, M. (2019). Paw preferences in cats and dogs: Meta-analysis. Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, 1-31. Doi

Arvanitis, A., Papadatou-Pastou, M., & Hantzi, A. (2019). Agreement in the ultimatum game: An analysis of interpersonal and intergroup context on the basis of the consensualistic approach to negotiation. New Ideas in Psychology, 45, 15-26 Doi

Ntolka, E., & Papadatou-Pastou, M. (2018). Right-handers have negligibly higher IQ scores than left-handers: Systematic review and meta-analyses. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 84,376-393. Doi

Markou, P., Ahtam, B., & Papadatou-Pastou, M. (2017). Elevated levels of atypical handedness in autism: Meta-analyses. Neuropsychology Review, 1-26. Doi

Papadatou-Pastou, M., & Sáfár, A. (2016). Handedness prevalence in the deaf: Meta-analyses. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 60, 98-114. Doi

Papadatou-Pastou, M., & Tomprou, D. M. (2015). Intelligence and handedness: Meta-analyses of studies on intellectually disabled, typically developing and gifted individuals. Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews, 56, 151-156, Doi

Martin, M., Papadatou-Pastou, M., Jones, G. V., & Munafò, M. (2010) Sex and location as determi-nants of handedness: reply to Vuoksimaa and Kaprio (2010). Psychological Bulletin, 136(3), 348-350. Doi

Gilmore, C., & Papadatou-Pastou, M. (2009). Patterns of individual differences in conceptual un-derstanding and arithmetical skill: A meta-analysis. Special Issue of Mathematical Thinking and Learning on “Young Children’s Understanding and Application of the Addition-Subtraction In-verse Principle”, 11(1), 25-40. Doi

Papadatou-Pastou, M., Martin, M., Munafò, M. R., & Jones, G. V. (2008). Sex differences in left-handedness: A meta-analysis of 144 studies, Psychological Bulletin, 134(5), 677-99. Doi