I understand SAR folks like to find out if a lost person they're searching for is right- or left-handed. It helps them figure out which way they'll be circling toward.
I, too, have heard about passing to the left of an object if you're right-handed, etc. and it seems to work, unless the objects are too close together and you circle left. Alternating would minimize error in dense woods or closely spaced obstacles.
Best plan is to sight a landmark in the distance and go straight toward it. Then pick out another and go to that, etc. If you have a companion, take turns being the landmark. One walks out to edge of vision, looks back and gets lined up on course by person who stayed behind. They then stay still while stay-behind leapfrogs them to edge of vision, repeat process.

I think in most terrain the landscape will matter more than which hand the finger you prefer to pick your nose with is on.
You might want to walk in circles but hills, swamps and other obstacles are going to guide most people into definite paths.

It can be very easy to get turned around in forests though. Even a mild overcast of cloud defeats the sun as a direction guide.

It might be good to ask how you steer your course with no compass.
If you have no GPS or compass how do you keep your heading under various conditions.

(P.S. A compass only gives you a bearing, it does not directly give you a location. The only way to get a position fix with just a compass is by sighting bearings on objects that you know the location of.)

A somewhat more complete and detailed write up of the study that includes informative graphics:
http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/08/do_lost_people_really_go_round_in_circles.php

The study says "Despite walking for 50 minutes, most of these people never made it very far."

I guess this is a good thing.

Give the compass to the LAST person in the group. The rest of the group form a line in front of him. If this line deviates from compass course, the compass guy orders "LEFT" or "RIGHT" corrections by voice or whistle. This method works, but as always - it works best with practice and discipline.


Before GPS, this method was the ONLY way to have any hope whatsoever of maintaining a straight course with acceptable margin of error in total whiteout conditions, such as a blissard or dense fog.

I was taught several different things -

Alternate going right and left around obstacles. This tends to lessen drift.

First man is point/paceman, second man has compass and directs first guy. Allows the first guy to keep his head up and not get 'tunnel vision'. He can sight on a terrain feature and go for that. If alone, always use the terrain feature method. If in a group, use that method, but have an alternate paceman and compass man towards the rear of the group/

Assume your dominant leg is the same as your dominant hand. Every 100m take a step to the dominant side. Lessens drift to some extent.