Spelling performance was compared for 50 children who had hemiplegia sustained either prenatally (N=32) or postnatally (N=18) and for four children with hemispherectomies. The group study of subjects with hemiplegia divided the children into four groups based on hemispheric side and age at injury. This approach sought to investigate quantitative…

Mind mapping, which challenges the right side of the brain, is recommended as a technique for designing classroom work and stimulating more effective and efficient comprehension. (MSE)

Effects of stimulant medication on word processing were assessed in 31 attention-deficit-disordered children (ages 6-16). Results suggested that methylphenidate may selectively improve the phonological level of word processing, and that favorable effects are produced through inhibition of excessive right hemisphere activity in response to task…

Two groups of right-handed young adults with and without Down Syndrome (N=24) performed a rapid unimanual finger-tapping task under two conditions: alone and while sound-shadowing (repeating) single-syllable, high frequency words. Results provided no evidence for reverse (right hemisphere) lateralization of speech in individuals with Down…

Investigation of the language-spatial lateralization of 76 intermediate grade right-handed regular education students found that "good" students had normal left hemisphere language and right hemisphere spatial lateralization but "poor" students had nonnormal lateralization. Academic problems and behavior problems were correlated with nonnormal…

Discusses importance of the ability to visualize images evoked by the written word in the development of children's skills in both reading and creative writing. Specific skills involved are noted, examples from picture books are given, and 48 picture books that would be useful to developing such skills are listed. (EM)

The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibility of using the principle of "superposition of states" (commonly illustrated by Schrodinger's Cat experiment) to understand the process of using standardized testing to measure a student's learning. Comparisons from literature, neuroscience, and Schema Theory will be used to expound upon the…

This paper explores the role of one cognitive style, spatial visualization, which research suggests correlates highly with student achievement. The study focuses on: whether students with high, average, and low spatial visualization ability differ in their preferred learning modes (concrete experience, abstract conceptualization, reflective…

The concurrent and postdictive validity of two newly-devised tests of contrasting hemispheric function (Test of Right Hemisphere Ability, Test of Left Hemisphere Ability) was investigated relative to scores earned on the reading and mathematics portions of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. (Author/PN)

The article reviews recent research in neurobiology. It discusses the confusion surrounding hemisphericity research and the dangers of its literal translation into classroom practice, urging that focus be more appropriately shifted to the curriculum. (Author/DB)

Brainstem auditory evoked response latencies were studied in 80 males (13 with Down's syndrome). Latencies for waves P3 and P5 were shorter for Down's syndrome subjects, who also showed a different pattern of left versus right ear responses. Results suggest decreased lateralization and receptive and expressive language ability among people with…

This literature review examines the research on the use of right and left hands in the reading of braille. Results suggest that right-handed people may read braille more accurately with the left hand. Studies have also found differences between girls and boys and changes over the developmental period. (DB)

The relationship between creative thought processes and hemispheric asymmetry was examined in 47 right-handed male undergraduates. Four factors were identified, accounting for 75 percent of the total variance: Verbal Divergent Thinking Factor, Nonverbal Divergent Thinking Factor, Convergent Verbal Search Factor, and Cognitive Complexity Factor.…

Methods used to teach gifted junior high school students about the brain are described, focusing on aiming high, using real experiments, and considering ethical issues. Teaching average rather than gifted students requires different means to attain instructional goals and calls for challenging students but not overwhelming them. (JDD)

An examination of the relationship between second-language achievement and field dependence-independence and hemisphericity among 11- and 12-year-old Turkish students (n=69) in an intensive English-as-a-Second-Language program found that field independent learners performed better on discrete-point and cloze tests. Hemisphericity was not related…