Employed a lexical decision task to asses whether left hemisphere damaged (LHD) and right hemisphere damaged (RHD) patients are similarly sensitive to stress patterns in lexical access. Results confirmed that individuals without brain damage are influenced by stress patterns, as indicated by increased lexical decision latencies to incorrectly…

The study assessed how unilateral right hemisphere brain damage (RHD) affects processing of metaphoric aspects of word meaning. RHD stroke patients (N=25) performed similarly to left-brain-damaged and normal subjects in the automatic condition and when provided with processing strategies. Both brain-damaged groups had difficulty developing…

Autopsy analysis of eight dyslexic brains found that the ordinary asymmetry in a language-relevant area of the temporal lobe was missing. The greater development of the right side may reflect an increase in the total number of neurons involved in language processing, resulting in changes in interhemispheric interactions. (JDD)

It is argued that the demise of traditional language teaching methods is due to their incompatibility with the dual nature of the brain's organization. The concept of neural "bimodality," with brain hemispheres receiving incoming stimuli in tandem, not separately, is described as a basis for discussion of brain-compatible language teaching. 63…

Studies the relationship between timing of puberty and spatial ability in 53 undergraduate women. Results do not show evidence for greater spatial ability on the part of those who have late maturation. (RJC)

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)

Personality-style instruments that are used intelligently, for the purpose for which they were designed, are a valuable tool in the trainers' arsenal. One justification for their use is to increase awareness about communication differences. (JOW)

Investigates whether memory for positive and negative television messages differs in the amount of verbal and visual-spatial information recognized and recalled by television viewers, as a function of differential activation of the brain hemispheres elicited by emotional messages. Suggests that message valence may be related to the amount of…

The relationship between brain asymmetry and age-related differences in cognitive abilities was examined for 29 adults aged 18 to 78 years using magnetic resonance imagery (MRI). Brain and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex size correlated positively with fluid intelligence but did not add to the fluid intelligence variance explained by age alone.…

Debunks brain/education myths. The term "brain-based education" is redundant; learning is the brain's function. More brain cell connections do not equal more learning. There is no "critical period" for developing human brain capacity. All learning is emotional, and learning never ends. Tips for high-school teachers are…

The new consensus on the nature of learning helps educators understand what fosters learning and how to improve ineffective, detrimental aspects of teaching. Science curricula should capitalize on three concepts: learners construct meaning for themselves; to understand is to know relationships; and knowing relationships depends on having prior…

Discusses connections between Madeline Hunter's elements of effective teaching and current brain research. Hunter's emphasis on setting the stage for learning fits precisely with research on the brain's attentional mechanisms. Other Hunter elements, including level of concern (challenge), task analysis, procedural memory, and prior learning, are…

Discusses cognitive navigation, cognitive maps and online learning, and the role of the hippocampus in navigation. Topics include brain research in animal and human studies; types of memory; human navigation, including land navigation and information navigation; instructional strategies; tree maps of curriculum structure; cognitive complexity; and…

Examined affective and motoric reactivity hypothesized to be associated with later inhibited and uninhibited behavior. Affect and reactivity were classified at four months. Brain electrical activity was assessed at 9 months, and behavior toward novelty, at 14 months. Found that greater activation in both the left and right frontal hemispheres was…

Proposes that a mute verbal modeling system gets lodged in the brain, because the brain is human and modeling, representing, and communicating create connections in the brain. (Author/VWL)