This study investigated the differences between right and left hemisphere brain damaged (BD) patients and controls in response to verbal and spatial-affective stimuli. The three null hypotheses explored in this study were: (a) Right hemisphere BD patients would not display significantly different arousal levels from controls in response to verbal and spatial-affective stimuli, (b) left hemisphere BD patients would not display significantly different arousal levels from controls in response to verbal and spatial-affective stimuli, and (c) left hemisphere BD patients would not display significantly different arousal levels from right hemisphere BD patients in response to verbal and spatial-affective stimuli. A One-Way Analysis of Variance was used to determine if differences in arousal existed between right and left hemisphere BD patients and controls. Planned comparisons (t-tests) were used in analyzing the hypotheses.A total of 48 subjects was used in this study. Experimental subjects were composed of 16 left and 16 right hemisphere BD patients from Community Hospital, Indianapolis, Indiana. Sixteen control subjects were obtained from the community of Muncie, Indiana. All subjects were volunteers. No significant differences were found between right and left hemisphere BD patients and controls with respect to age, education, and post injury.The instruments used in this study were a J & J electrodermal unit, the Affective Behavior Test, and the Comprehension subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised. All tests were individually administered while GSR recordings were obtained. Administration, scoring, computer analyses, and interpretation was completed between May 1982 and February 1984.All three null hypotheses were rejected. Right and left hemisphere BD patients' arousal levels in response to affective stimuli were significantly different from those of controls (p <.001). These results suggested that arousal levels in right and left hemisphere BD patients were lower than non-brain damaged individuals. Additionally, right hemisphere BD patients were found to have significantly lower arousal levels than left hemisphere BD patients (p<.01). In light of these findings, it was recommended that future research explore the value of increasing arousal levels for cerebrovascular accident patients in the rehabilitative process.

No description available.

A number of studies have suggested that the right cerebral hemisphere declines, functionally, more rapidly, and to a greater degree, than does the left hemisphere, as the human adult ages. Furthermore, research has suggested a possible link between age by gender-related changes in cognitive function and changes in mood and levels of social engagement. Importantly, a literature search identified that no previous study has employed a divided visual field experimental technique, where emotionally valenced verbal stimuli have been presented, in order to test whether selective impairment of right cerebral hemisphere functioning is associated with normal adult ageing. Nor has any study investigated associations between age, gender, levels of social engagement, mood, and performances in the perception of both emotionally valenced verbal stimuli and facial affect. The present study investigated whether a selective impairment of right cerebral hemispheric cognitive functioning, in relation to emotion perception, is associated with normal adult ageing. In addition, the present study explored whether any relationships exist between an age-related and/or age by gender-related right cerebral hemispheric cognitive impairment, problems with mood, and deficits in social engagement. Two divided visual field experiments were conducted: one divided visual field experiment employed verbal stimuli, and the other, facial image stimuli. These two experiments attempted to assess changes, with adult ageing, in hemispheric specialisation for the perception of emotion by tachistoscopically presenting valenced (positive, neutral, or negative) verbal and facial image stimuli, within a divided visual field experimental paradigm. The studies were conducted across two groups (an old group and a young group of subjects), whilst controlling for gender, handedness and verbal ability of subjects. The dependent variables in these two experiments were the subjects' reaction times to the stimuli, accuracy of identification of the emotional valence of the stimuli, and response biases to these stimuli. The data derived from the verbal divided visual field and facial image divided visual field experiments did not indicate any changes in relation to the laterality of emotion perception as the adult human being ages. Importantly, though, the results from both of the aforementioned experiments revealed that the older group of subjects responded more slowly and less accurately to the emotionally valued stimuli than did the younger group of subjects, suggesting that deficits in emotion perception occur with adult ageing. In addition, the results suggested age by gender-specific relationships, whereby an overall lowering in cognitive ability for older men was associated with a lowering in ability to accurately perceive the emotional valence of the stimuli. For older women it was found that a lowering in cognitive ability largely mediated by the left cerebral hemisphere was associated with a lowering in ability to accurately perceive the emotional valence of the stimuli, whilst cognitive ability for young persons was not associated with this variable. The data also suggested that for the young women, a heightened level of cognitive ability largely mediated by the left cerebral hemisphere was associated with a lowering in satisfaction with their level of social interaction, whereas a heightened level of cognitive ability largely mediated by the right cerebral hemisphere was associated with a heightened level of mood disturbance. Gender-specific relationships were also found, whereby for both the older and younger women, a heightened level of mood disturbance was associated with a lowering in satisfaction with their level of social interaction, whilst for both the older and younger men these variables had no relationship. Furthermore, an age by gender-specific relationship was revealed, whereby for the older men, a heightened level of satisfaction with their level of social interaction was associated with a heightened level of social engagement, whilst for the young men, and both the young and older women, these variables had no relationship.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Department of Psychology, June 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available of the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-92). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-92). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Murdoch University, 2009. / Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 220-238)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2006. / David A. Washburn , committee chair; Claudio C. Cantalupo, Eric J. Vanman, Duane M. Rumbaugh, committee members. Electronic text (102 p. : col. ill.)) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed July 13, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-96).

This study investigated color discrimination as a possible localized function of right or left cerebral hemispheres in humans. Previous studies have shown conflicting results. Studies implicating the left hemisphere have contaminated color discrimination with verbal-symbolic ability. Other studies implicating the right hemisphere emphasized color-matching ability. This study pointed out the importance of response latency as well as accuracy and also the importance of testing the data for meeting the assumptions of the statistical technique utilized. It was concluded that color discrimination is normally a right-hemisphere function in right-handed individuals. Differences in individual ability, although large, were not found to be systematically related to sex or eye dominance, but may be learned individual differences. The study further pointed out the inappropriateness of referring to a major or dominant cerebral hemisphere without stipulating which function is being considered.

Cu,rrent research has suggested that musical stimuli are processed in the right hemisphere except in musicians, in whom there is an increased involvement of the left hemisphere. The present study hypothesized that the more musical training persons receive, the 1 more they will rely on an analytic/left hemispheric processing strategy. The subjects were 10 faculty and 10 student nonmusicians, and 10 faculty and 10 student musicians. All subjects listened to a series of melodies (some recurring and some not) and excerpts (some real and some fake) in one ear and to a different series of melodies in the other ear. The task was to identify recurring vs. nonrecurring melodies and real vs. fake excerpts. For student musicians, there was a_ left ear/right hemispheric advantage for melody recognition, while for student nonmusicians, the situation was the reverse. Neither faculty group showed any ear preference. There were no significant differences for excerpt recognition. Two plausible explanations of the faculty performance were discussed in terms of a maturation factor and a functionally more integrated hemispheric approach to the task .