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APRIL 8, 2014

Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligences Test (DMIT): a fundamentalreview!

What is the 'Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligences Test' (DMIT)? DMIT is an appealingcommercial product which suggests that 'multiple intelligences' (read: talents) can beassessed from dermatoglyphics & fingerprints. During the past years DMIT became a popularniche in some Asian countries with the use of smart marketing techniques focussed onespecially young parents, who are often insecure about their child's future. Is DMIT really thereliable & scientifically validated test that it claims to represent?

At some locations (e.g. in Chinese cities) DMIT became banned after parents startedcomplaining about e.g. the reliability of the DMIT results + doubts regarding the validity ofvarious DMIT-claims. Also, incidental reports have been noticed from various sources whereDMIT became described as a franchise scheme fraud/scam. The objective of this article is todemonstrate the construction of the DMIT concept; also, background info is presentedregarding the origins of DMIT, featured with a deeper analysis focussed on in specific theDMIT claim regarding 'Musical Intelligence'. Finally, various sources are recommended forfurther reading.

More

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CONTENT:

• Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligences Test is constructed from 4 hypotheses!• Major contributors to the DMIT theory!• Mary Lai's hand-brain model vs. the DMIT hand-brain model!• DMIT describes: 'Musical Intelligence' is found in the right ring finger• Worrisome reports about DMIT

- Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligences Test is constructed from 4 hypotheses! -

Professor Lin of WellGene Sciences Inc. claims to have started DMIT in 1994 in Taiwan and claims are made that DMITis a patented scientific system to determine an individual's 16 Multiple Intelligences.

Unfortunately, DMIT can also be recognized to represent a speculative construction that is built on basically four(pseudo-scientific) hypotheses:

1 - DMIT is built on the 'multiple intelligences' hypothesis.

The concept of 'Multiple Intelligences' was introduced in 1983 by developmental psychologist Howard Gardner in hisbook 'Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences'. However, there are many arguments which suggest thatGardner's theory is not built on empirical evidence and is actually recognized as an example of pseudoscience;Wikipedia e.g. summarizes:

"To date there have been no published studies that offer evidence of the validity of the multiple intelligences. ... The

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"To date there have been no published studies that offer evidence of the validity of the multiple intelligences. ... Thetheory of multiple intelligences has been conflated with learning styles. It is often cited as an example ofpseudoscience because it lacks empirical evidence or falsifiability. "

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2 - DMIT is built on the 'left-brain vs. right brain lateralization' hypothesis.

The concept of the 'left-brain vs. right brain lateralization' became popular based on e.g. outdated findings from the 70'sand neuropsychologist Roger W. Sperry's 'split-brain experiments'. Unfortunately, also this theory has a lack of supportfrom brain research and is today known as an unfoundend example of pseudo-science; a neuroscientists explains:

"The idea that the left side is “logical and analytical” and the right is “intuitive and creative” seems to be natural law.In fact, it may be the poster child for pseudoscience – something that looks like science but isn’t.."

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3 - The 'finger-brain lobe connection' hypothesis.

The origins of the 'finger-brain lobe connection' can be traced to Taiwan, and in specific the works of eduction ProfessorLin & kindergarten principal Mary Lai. Both appear to suggests that since the 1990's they have been working with theso-called 'finger-brain lobe connection' hypothesis - which suggest each fingers represents a brain lobe at the other side

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so-called 'finger-brain lobe connection' hypothesis - which suggest each fingers represents a brain lobe at the other sideof the body.

Unfortunately, this theory can also be recognized to represent example of pseudo-science for various reasons; e.g.because brain research today points out that all five fingers have the strongest connection with only a small parts of thebrain that is known to represent the so-called 'primary motor cortex' and the 'primary sensory cortex' (both are located atthe central sulcus, which seperates the frontal brain lobe from the parietal brain lobe).

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4 - The 'fingerprint predicts behavior' hypothesis.

The origins of the 'fingerprint predicts behavior' can be traced to the field of palmistry. US Palmist Edward D. Campbelldescribes in his very informative 1998 article 'Fingerprints & Palmar Dermatoglyphics':

"Noel Jaquin began to speculate about the psychological connections of fingerprints and individual subjects in printin 1933 as he wondered whether the whorl pattern, then commonly found on the prints of certain types of criminals,indicated some defect of moral perception that he would attribute to some psychological deficiency."

Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence which provides evidence for the idea that fingerprint patterns (such as:whorls, loops, tented arches & arches) correlate with behavior; so far there are only studies available where resultsindicate that 'fluctuating dermatoglyphic asymmetry' may correlate with some aspects of behavior (usually due todevelopmental instability), however one should not misinterpretate such findings as a clue that individual fingerprintpatterns themselves also correlate with genetically determined talents or behavior.

The illustration below is a compilation of illustrations presented by Encycligent (which associates with Professor Lin'swork).

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- Major contributors to the DMIT theory! -

The following people are often named to represent major contributors regarding the underlying theory of the'Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligences Test':

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- Mary Lai from Taiwan:Mind Measurement Education Association

- Prof. Lin [aliases: Roger Lin; Ruei Bin, LIN; Jui Pin, LIN] from Taiwan:WellGene Sciences Inc. - Brain-Child learning partner - Prof Lin interview (march 2013) - dermatoglyph test systempatent

- Zhai Guijun from China:'Report on study of multivariate intelligence: measurement through dermatoglyphic identification' (2006 report)

- Mary Lai's hand-brain model vs. the DMIT hand-brain model! -

Interestingly, in de work of the researchers there appears to be some dispute regarding how the fingers are connectedwith the brain. In Mary Lai's work the index finger (2nd digit) gets associated with the parietal brain lobe and the middlefinger (3rd digit) gets associated with te posterior frontal lobe - see Mary Lai's illustration, first picture below.

Hand-brain model presented by kindergarten principal Mary Lai.

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However, in DMIT models the parietal brain lobe usually gets associated with the middle finger (3rd digit) and posteriorfrontal lobe usually get associated with the index finger (2nd digit) - see Esther Cheang's illustration, second picturebelow.

Hand-brain model presented by marketing specialist Esther Cheang.

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- DMIT describes: 'Musical Intelligence' is found in the right ring finger -

According DMIT 'Musical Intelligence' manifests in the hand through the left ring finger and is assumed to correlate withespecially the right temporal brain lobe (see e.g. Esther Cheang's picture above).

However, a closer study of Howard Gardner's work reveals that his perception regarding how music correlates with thebrain tends to focus on the right hemisphere as well; however, in june 2012 Gardner published a paper on his blog whichsuggests that musical skill is not "localized" in a particular brain lobe:

"A brief consideration of the evidence suggests that musical skill passes the other tests for an intelligence. Forexample, certain parts of the brain play important roles in perception and production of music. These areas arecharacteristically located in the right hemisphere, although musical skill is not as clearly "localized," or located in aspecifiable area, as natural language."

Actually, according the sate of cognitive neuroscience today research points out that music skills actually require theinvolvement of both hemispheres: "Music is also processed by both the left and the right sides of the brain."

Additionally, the truth is that various brain lobes from both hemispheres are involved with the proces of music:

- pitch involves both hemispheres the upper temporal lobe [primary auditory cortex] (+ auditory brainstem, inferiorcolliculus & auditory thalamus);- fine pitch resolution involves more the right- than the left upper temporal lobe [secondary auditory cortex] (+ rightplanum temporale & rigth superior temporal gyrus);- melody involves in both hemispheres the upper temporal lobe [secondary auditory corext], slightly more on the rightside;- rhythm involves the left frontal cortex & left parietal cortex (+ the right cerebellum);- tonality involves right auditory cortex, and for both hemispheres: the medial prefrontal cortex, the cerebellum, thesuperior temporal sulci, and the superior temporal gyri.

Also, Walter Sorell pointed out in 1968 that long ring fingers have been linked with musical ability for many years; duringthe past few decades John Manning described that this old finding has been confirmed by 2d:4d digit ratio studieswhich indicate that musicians tend to have by average a (slightly) lower index- to ring finger length ratio. Unfortunatelythere are no scientific studies available at all which confirm that fingerprint ridge counts (or dermatoglyphics) correlatewith 'musical ability'.

Conclusion: the correlation between musical talent and the ring finger was already known long before DMIT, and so far

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Conclusion: the correlation between musical talent and the ring finger was already known long before DMIT, and so farthere is no (independent) evidence which confirms that this correlation is more significant for the right ring finger than forthe left ring finger. Therefore this aspect of DMIT represents likely just another glimp of a pseudo-scientific theory.

- Worrisome reports about DMIT -

During the past few years various indepent reports have been noticed which indicate that the marketing techniquesused to promote DMIT have been questioned not only regarding it's validity, but also regarding it's moral standards - asthe marketing techniques used to promote this (commerical) product is usually focussed on young parents in Asiancountries which are known for relatively high competition between childeren to get access to education & careeropportunities.

The following sources describe various problems associated with the 'Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligences Test':

- DMIT reviewed by Clinical Psychologist/Psychotherapist in Gurgaon, India (9-7-2012):'The “non-science” called DMIT'

- DMIT reviewed by NLP Life Coach (5-14-2012):'DMI (Dermatoglyphics Multiple Intelligence), Science or Scam?'

- DMIT banned in Taiyuan, China (1-31-2012):'Chinese city bans schools' palm-reading test'

- DMIT is likely a scam according sillybelieves.com (10-14-2010):"So in conclusion, DMIT is most likely a scam because:... (6 reasons are listed)"

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