Gazzaniga argues that without language right hemisphere cognition is vastly limited and that most normal right hemispheres have no language and only "rudimentary cognition." These assertion ignore important nonlinguistic observations, as well as findings with hemispheric sodium amytal anesthesia and laterality effects for complex cognitive tasks…

States that hemispheric preference literature reveals mostly marginally significant data--different ways of probing human thought processing exist and various mistakes can sometimes account for borderline data. Elaborates the Sonnier Model of Hemispheric Preferences (SMHP) which may provide clarification and more fruitful research questions and…

This article provides an overview of decision-making literature, describes individual and organizational decision stages, and reviews selected idiographic influences on decision-making. Also presented is a model for predicting and explaining variations in decision outcomes. These outcomes include affective, cognitive, and behavioral conditions.…

Fear extinction refers to the ability to adapt as situations change by learning to suppress a previously learned fear. This process involves a gradual reduction in the capacity of a fear-conditioned stimulus to elicit fear by presenting the conditioned stimulus repeatedly on its own. Fear extinction is context-dependent and is generally considered…

Fifteen years ago, Pascual-Leone and colleagues used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate speech production in pre-surgical epilepsy patients and in doing so, introduced a novel tool into language research. TMS can be used to non-invasively stimulate a specific cortical region and transiently disrupt information processing. These…

This document discusses the problem of teachers who teach primarily to the left hemisphere of the brain, not allowing the right-brain dominant student to expand his creative ability. It presents information about brain structure and function for educators. A glossary of 25 terms is provided with sources of the definitions. Annotations summarizing…

Research is reviewed on the relationship between right hemisphere imagery and the development of creativity. The role of nonverbal imagery in the incubation period is discussed. Note: For related information, see EC 120 232-238. (CL)

A theory of the development of anomalous dominance and its biological associations is explained and the literature is reviewed in an attempt to apply this theory to the study of autism. The review supported the increased incidence of left-handedness, learning disabilities, and immune disorders postulated by the theory. (Author/DB)

In this paper studies of executive function in autism spectrum disorder are reviewed. Executive function is an umbrella term for functions such as planning, working memory, impulse control, inhibition, and shifting set, as well as for the initiation and monitoring of action. In this review, the focus will be on planning, inhibition, shifting set,…

This paper examines the influence of Norman Geschwind's model of connectionism, in which complex functions are built up by connecting primary areas in the brain, and notes his studies of the effects of disconnection on dyslexic individuals. Connectionist-based behavioral studies are reviewed, focusing on intracortical association connections and…

This article reviews the evidence on the relationship between the two brain hemispheres and creative cognitive processes. It concludes that claims about creativity being "in" one or the other hemispheres represent an uncritical acceptance of naive pseudoscientific beliefs about the brain and brain function. (DB)

This article reviews recent evidence supporting a biological basis for developmental dyslexia. It concludes that the combined evidence demonstrating macroscopic morphologic, microscopic neuronal, and microstructural white matter abnormalities in dyslexia is consistent with a localization of the principle pathophysicological process to perisylvian…

Studies of the brain and of the human culture can be used to demonstrate the limits of traditional approaches (based on psychological perspectives which are often narrow and restrictive) to learning styles and to offer additional perspectives on the complexity of learning. The study of the hemispheres of the brain and its triune nature indicates…

Discusses the relevance of the study of the neurobiology of cognitive development, for an understanding of both the neural bases and the nature of cognition. Also considered are the age at which hemisphere specialization first appears and whether hemisphere specialization changes over time. (PCB)

Studies with Nootropic psychoactive drugs (such as Piracetam) suggest that Piracetam lacks significant side effects; promotes memory and learning; and improves the reading ability of dyslexics, possibly by directly affecting the left-brain hemisphere. Results are contrasted with studies showing the lack of effectiveness of intensive teaching.…