Hemispheric differentiation and category width.
This study concerns the relationship between a cognitive style dimension, category width, and hemispheric differentiation. When lists of word pairs were presented simultaneously in a dichotic listening task to broad and narrow categorisers (all female, right-handed), both groups of subjects recalled more words presented to the right ear than those presented to the left ear; indicating left hemisphere's superiority in verbal processing. Both broad and narrow categorisers recalled a similar number of words in the right ear (left hemisphere), but the former recalled significantly more words in the left ear than did the latter. This finding is interpreted as meaning that narrow categorisers rely predominantly on the left hemisphere in verbal processing, and that in comparison with narrow categories, there is greater right hemispheric involvement in processing in the case of broad categorisers. The implication of this finding in terms of the differential processing strategies adopted by the two groups of individuals is discussed.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004007:Dichotic Listening Tests; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007257:Information Theory; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D012737:Sex Factors; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*