Cerebral Lateralization - Essay Example

Cerebral (Asymmetry) Lateralization Affiliation: The study investigates the proposition that the phonological (verbal) processing, as measured by a rhyme/non-rhyme task, is faster and more accurate in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere of the brain. So as to do this, the study used the divided visual paradigm to present visual stimuli scrupulously to the left or right visual field and, therefore, to the opposite (contralateral side) cerebral hemisphere. The participants are right handed, English is their first language, and have normal or corrected to normal vision. The study used the divided visual field paradigm and a phonological rhyme/non-rhyme task developed by Mead and Hampson (1996). Introduction The acquisition of literacy of education rests on the development of elaborate links that exist between vision and language (Hugdahl & Westerhausen, 2010). The visual system of the human brain learns how to recognize rapidly letters and letter clusters that are across a huge range of shapes and viewing conditions. Hugdahl and Westerhausen (2010) argue that the efficiency of the adult reading system rests on the brain’s ability to identify rapidly and in parallel arrays of numerous letters. Undeniably, word reading latencies are reasonably constant regardless of the word length, at least with a reasonable range of three to six letters. According to Bryden (2012), this perceptual ability takes approximately five years of instruction to develop, and an effect of word length sticks at the least to an age of 10 years. Language is possibly the most distinguished and powerfully lateralized function in the human brain. Much of knowledge on the organization of language in the human brain is grounded on the correlation of location of lesions in the neo-cortex and behavioral deficits (Bryden, 2012). Notably, several language areas in the brain are located within the left hemisphere. A puzzling attribute of the structure of the human brain is that its two hemispheres are functionally and anatomically asymmetrical. The asymmetries in the structure of the brain are not only visible in a general view but also at the degree of the morphology of a person’s neuron (Corballis, 2012). Conversely, even though there is a little discrepancy between facts of asymmetry in the brain, there is substantial disagreement about why the two hemispheres are asymmetrical. Anatomical asymmetries in the human brain mainly center on the language areas (Corballis, 2012). However, it is tempting to speculate that anatomical asymmetries evolved to subserve language. Besides, these asymmetries are demonstrated in preterm infants. With the emphasis on finding the anatomical asymmetries that can be linked to language, this study will answer the research question, ‘Are the cerebral hemispheres of the brain functionally asymmetrical (lateralized) for language.’ So as to address this question, the study will compare the % correct data from the right and left hemisphere (LVF vs. RVF) from all the participants. The % will be calculated from the 50 trials presented to each visual field. Methods Participants The participants in the study will be 15 male adults and 15 female adults. They are all right handed, and English is their first language. The participants were systematically selected from the school. Materials 1. Standard MS PC. 2. MS San Serif 3. A written rhyming document with rhyming words such as Joke Woke Near and in rhyme words such as Cost Host Note. Procedure 1. The experiment will begin with a set of 15 practice trials followed by two blocks of 30 experiments trails separated by a brief period. Therefore, there will be 60 experimental trials with an equal number (30) right visual fields and left visual fields presentations. 2. The order of the 60 trials will be randomized for each participant. 3. Each trial starts with a central fixation point (+) which was then substituted by a cue word. 4. Presently afterward, two words came out one to each side of the central arrow. The arrow pointed to the target word, either on the right (->) or to the left ( Read More