El estudio de la lateralización cerebral de los primates no humanos resulta esencial para comprender nuestra hominización cerebral y cognitiva, así como la filogenia del lenguaje humano. En relación a nuestros parientes más cercanos, hoy día no existe un consenso en determinar si los chimpancés muestran asimetrías funcionales homologas a las del ser humano. Uno de los comportamientos que más controversia ha generado en las últimas décadas es el de la dominancia manual. A través de esta consideración se hace una amplia revisión sobre los principales modelos teóricos continuistas, rupturistas y de integración, además de exponer las implicaciones evolutivas y cognitivas que la lateralización ha tenido en el cerebro humano. El estudio comparado del comportamiento animal desde una perspectiva etológico-psicológica resulta fundamental para poder entender el proceso de hominización conductual y cerebral, aportando un punto de vista causal, funcional, ontogenético y evolutivo sobre el cerebro.
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