Cognitive mode and asymmetry in cerebral functioning.
Male graduate students from the fields of sculpture, psychology, and law were used to test the assumption that an individual's cognitive mode (verbal-analytic vs. spatial-holistic) is related to actual laterality in cerebral functioning. A measure of asymmetry of cognitive mode for each student, based on relative performance on three verbal-analytic tests compared to three spatial-holistic tests, successfully discriminated occupational groups. Laterality in cerebral functioning was indexed by relative reaction times to discriminate visual stimuli presented unilaterally to the left or right hemisphere. Reaction times to discriminate faces were less for the right hemisphere, while letters were discriminated faster by the left hemisphere. However, measures of cerebral laterality were not related to occupational group membership nor to asymmetry of cognitive mode. Asymmetry in performance on tests of cognitive mode may reflect an individual's general approach to problem solving, but is not closely related to laterality in cerebral functioning.
Arndt
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Psychology Department, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California 91711, USA.
Berger
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D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology