The fact that there is an imperfect correlation between the asymmetrical function of the two halves of the brain and handedness has been a source of puzzlement for many investigators. Many theories have been proposed to explain handedness and why handedness does not correlate perfectly with other measures of lateralization. To assess the relationships among the various aspects of laterality, the present study attempted to isolate factors that underlie lateralization by means of a factor analytic technique. A principal components analysis of the scores of 261 college students on 15 measures of lateralization isolated six factors which accounted for 59.5% of the variance in the scores. The results tend to confirm that left handers are not as strongly lateralized as right handers, and that females are not as strongly lateralized as males in some measures. Most important, however, is the indication that hemispheric lateralization is clearly a multidimensional phenomenon rather than simply a matter of general right- or left-sidedness. [Two data tables and 14 bar graph figures are included.] (Author)