title: Evidence for asymmetrical hemispheric priming using known and unknown warning stimuli in two language-trained chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
abstract: In this article results are reported from 3 warning stimulus-priming experiments that assessed hemisphere-specific activation and lateralization in 2 language-trained chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Results from Experiment 1 indicated a right visual field advantage in priming for meaningful warning stimuli presented in blocks of 36 trials. In Experiments 2 and 3, randomized presentations of meaningful, familiar, and meaningless stimuli resulted in right visual field advantages for meaningful warning stimuli. No visual half-field differences were found for familiar or meaningless warning stimuli. The findings are similar to those found in human subjects using known-unknown symbol paradigms; they suggest that basic phylogenetic neuropsychological systems related to activation and priming processes may link nonhuman primate and human studies of lateralization.
authors.affiliation: Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta 30303.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Savage-Rumbaugh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal; D001288:Attention; D003210:Concept Formation; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000523:psychology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time