1) Two experiments explored conditions where the typical left-hemisphere advantage in visual word recognition is reduced or eliminated.
2) The experiments found that the left-hemisphere advantage was weaker for words in alternating case and was numerically reversed for words in an unfamiliar prototype font.
3) These results are consistent with the theory that dissociable abstract and specific neural systems underlie visual word recognition in each hemisphere, rather than a single visual lexicon located in the left hemisphere.
1. Elaborate on the coca-cocaine commodity value chain and the ill.docxSONU61709
1. The document discusses a study that evaluated a treatment package for reducing vocal stereotypy in a preschooler with autism. The package included a social story, discrimination training, and differential reinforcement with response cost.
2. The treatment was implemented in the child's preschool classroom by teachers and assistants. Results showed a clear decrease in vocal stereotypy compared to baseline.
3. The summary concludes that the treatment package was effective at reducing vocal stereotypy for this student in the classroom setting.
Perception of shapes targeting local and globalprocesses in .docxdanhaley45372
Perception of shapes targeting local and global
processes in autism spectrum disorders
Emma J. Grinter,1 Murray T. Maybery,1 Elizabeth Pellicano,1,3 Johanna C.
Badcock2 and David R. Badcock1
1School of Psychology, University of Western Australia; 2Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry/Graylands
Hospital, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia; 3Department of
Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, UK
Background: Several researchers have found evidence for impaired global processing in the dorsal
visual stream in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, support for a similar
pattern of visual processing in the ventral visual stream is less consistent. Critical to resolving the
inconsistency is the assessment of local and global form processing ability. Methods: Within the visual
domain, radial frequency (RF) patterns – shapes formed by sinusoidally varying the radius of a circle to
add ‘bumps’ of a certain number to a circle – can be used to examine local and global form perception.
Typically developing children and children with an ASD discriminated between circles and RF patterns
that are processed either locally (RF24) or globally (RF3). Results: Children with an ASD required
greater shape deformation to identify RF3 shapes compared to typically developing children, consistent
with difficulty in global processing in the ventral stream. No group difference was observed for RF24
shapes, suggesting intact local ventral-stream processing. Conclusions: These outcomes support the
position that a deficit in global visual processing is present in ASDs, consistent with the notion of Weak
Central Coherence. Keywords: Autism, local processing, global processing, ventral visual pathway,
radial frequency patterns. Abbreviations: ASD, autism spectrum disorder; TD, typically developing;
WCC, Weak Central Coherence; EPF, Enhanced Perceptual Functioning; RF, radial frequency; ADI-R,
Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised.
Over the past three decades, several research groups
have proposed that the cognitive profile in autism
spectrum disorders (ASDs) is characterised by diffi-
culties in complex information processing (Bertone,
Mottron, Jelenic, & Faubert, 2005; Frith, 1989;
Minshew, Goldstein, & Siegal, 1997). In particular,
Weak Central Coherence (WCC) theory suggests that
individuals with an ASD demonstrate a relative fail-
ure to extract overall meaning, resulting in a reduced
awareness of the global aspects of stimuli in con-
junction with a relatively heightened awareness of
the details or parts of stimuli (Frith, 1989; Happé,
1999). Several studies have shown, however, that
integration abilities might be intact in ASDs (Mot-
tron, Burack, Stauder, & Robaey, 1999; Ozonoff,
Strayer, McMahon, & Filloux, 1994; Plaisted, Swet-
tenham, & Rees, 1999). To account for these data,
others have proposed, amongst several other
hypotheses, that individuals with an ASD show
‘Enhanced.
Se describe cómo la lectura de labios excita la corteza auditiva así como otras regiones cerebrales relacionadas, convirtiéndose en una de las primeras demostraciones fisiológicas de influencias en la transmodulación sensorial en una región del cerebro que, hasta ese momento, se pensaba que estaba dedicada a un sentido en exclusiva.
This study investigated how people detect changes to visual shapes using a change detection task. Observers viewed two shapes sequentially and reported if they were the same or different. The study found that people were much better at detecting changes involving the addition or removal of a concavity (indentation) compared to equally sized changes involving convexities (outward curves). This suggests that the visual system represents concavities in shapes more explicitly than convexities. The findings provide insights into the underlying representation of visual shape and how change detection can be used to study visual representations.
This study investigated differences in lexical processing between right-handed individuals with familial left-handedness (FS+) and without (FS-), using an auditory masked priming paradigm. The study found that:
1) FS+ subjects experienced priming for both high and low frequency word targets, while FS- subjects only experienced priming for high frequency targets, suggesting FS+ individuals have greater facility with lexical processing.
2) Both FS+ and FS- subjects experienced priming for both low and high neighborhood density words, unlike past studies using synthetic speech which found priming only for low density words.
3) The auditory masked priming paradigm was robust to small variations in prime-target timing,
What can a corpus tell us about grammarSami Khalil
The document discusses what can be learned about lexis and grammar from corpus data. Regarding lexis, corpora can provide information about the general lexicon, word formation, collocations, idioms, meanings such as polysemy, and lexical patterns in speech. Regarding grammar, corpora allow analysis of grammatical patterns through frequency, associations with lexis, co-text, discourse factors, and variation across registers and speech. Multiple interrelated linguistic features must be examined simultaneously to fully understand grammatical choices.
Adaptationism And Molecular Biology An Example Based On ADHDFaith Brown
This document discusses issues with the adaptationist approach taken in evolutionary psychology research. It summarizes an alternative approach proposed by the authors that begins with identifying candidate genes associated with traits, then testing for patterns of selection at the DNA level before speculating about adaptations. As an example, the authors discuss research on the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene and its association with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They found evidence that a specific allele of this gene (7R) may confer advantages in conflict resolution and is more prevalent in ADHD samples. The authors argue this molecular genetic approach can help limit the number of hypotheses about adaptations that need to be considered and avoid issues with relying solely on complex clinical literature.
1. Elaborate on the coca-cocaine commodity value chain and the ill.docxSONU61709
1. The document discusses a study that evaluated a treatment package for reducing vocal stereotypy in a preschooler with autism. The package included a social story, discrimination training, and differential reinforcement with response cost.
2. The treatment was implemented in the child's preschool classroom by teachers and assistants. Results showed a clear decrease in vocal stereotypy compared to baseline.
3. The summary concludes that the treatment package was effective at reducing vocal stereotypy for this student in the classroom setting.
Perception of shapes targeting local and globalprocesses in .docxdanhaley45372
Perception of shapes targeting local and global
processes in autism spectrum disorders
Emma J. Grinter,1 Murray T. Maybery,1 Elizabeth Pellicano,1,3 Johanna C.
Badcock2 and David R. Badcock1
1School of Psychology, University of Western Australia; 2Centre for Clinical Research in Neuropsychiatry/Graylands
Hospital, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia; 3Department of
Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, UK
Background: Several researchers have found evidence for impaired global processing in the dorsal
visual stream in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, support for a similar
pattern of visual processing in the ventral visual stream is less consistent. Critical to resolving the
inconsistency is the assessment of local and global form processing ability. Methods: Within the visual
domain, radial frequency (RF) patterns – shapes formed by sinusoidally varying the radius of a circle to
add ‘bumps’ of a certain number to a circle – can be used to examine local and global form perception.
Typically developing children and children with an ASD discriminated between circles and RF patterns
that are processed either locally (RF24) or globally (RF3). Results: Children with an ASD required
greater shape deformation to identify RF3 shapes compared to typically developing children, consistent
with difficulty in global processing in the ventral stream. No group difference was observed for RF24
shapes, suggesting intact local ventral-stream processing. Conclusions: These outcomes support the
position that a deficit in global visual processing is present in ASDs, consistent with the notion of Weak
Central Coherence. Keywords: Autism, local processing, global processing, ventral visual pathway,
radial frequency patterns. Abbreviations: ASD, autism spectrum disorder; TD, typically developing;
WCC, Weak Central Coherence; EPF, Enhanced Perceptual Functioning; RF, radial frequency; ADI-R,
Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised.
Over the past three decades, several research groups
have proposed that the cognitive profile in autism
spectrum disorders (ASDs) is characterised by diffi-
culties in complex information processing (Bertone,
Mottron, Jelenic, & Faubert, 2005; Frith, 1989;
Minshew, Goldstein, & Siegal, 1997). In particular,
Weak Central Coherence (WCC) theory suggests that
individuals with an ASD demonstrate a relative fail-
ure to extract overall meaning, resulting in a reduced
awareness of the global aspects of stimuli in con-
junction with a relatively heightened awareness of
the details or parts of stimuli (Frith, 1989; Happé,
1999). Several studies have shown, however, that
integration abilities might be intact in ASDs (Mot-
tron, Burack, Stauder, & Robaey, 1999; Ozonoff,
Strayer, McMahon, & Filloux, 1994; Plaisted, Swet-
tenham, & Rees, 1999). To account for these data,
others have proposed, amongst several other
hypotheses, that individuals with an ASD show
‘Enhanced.
Se describe cómo la lectura de labios excita la corteza auditiva así como otras regiones cerebrales relacionadas, convirtiéndose en una de las primeras demostraciones fisiológicas de influencias en la transmodulación sensorial en una región del cerebro que, hasta ese momento, se pensaba que estaba dedicada a un sentido en exclusiva.
This study investigated how people detect changes to visual shapes using a change detection task. Observers viewed two shapes sequentially and reported if they were the same or different. The study found that people were much better at detecting changes involving the addition or removal of a concavity (indentation) compared to equally sized changes involving convexities (outward curves). This suggests that the visual system represents concavities in shapes more explicitly than convexities. The findings provide insights into the underlying representation of visual shape and how change detection can be used to study visual representations.
This study investigated differences in lexical processing between right-handed individuals with familial left-handedness (FS+) and without (FS-), using an auditory masked priming paradigm. The study found that:
1) FS+ subjects experienced priming for both high and low frequency word targets, while FS- subjects only experienced priming for high frequency targets, suggesting FS+ individuals have greater facility with lexical processing.
2) Both FS+ and FS- subjects experienced priming for both low and high neighborhood density words, unlike past studies using synthetic speech which found priming only for low density words.
3) The auditory masked priming paradigm was robust to small variations in prime-target timing,
What can a corpus tell us about grammarSami Khalil
The document discusses what can be learned about lexis and grammar from corpus data. Regarding lexis, corpora can provide information about the general lexicon, word formation, collocations, idioms, meanings such as polysemy, and lexical patterns in speech. Regarding grammar, corpora allow analysis of grammatical patterns through frequency, associations with lexis, co-text, discourse factors, and variation across registers and speech. Multiple interrelated linguistic features must be examined simultaneously to fully understand grammatical choices.
Adaptationism And Molecular Biology An Example Based On ADHDFaith Brown
This document discusses issues with the adaptationist approach taken in evolutionary psychology research. It summarizes an alternative approach proposed by the authors that begins with identifying candidate genes associated with traits, then testing for patterns of selection at the DNA level before speculating about adaptations. As an example, the authors discuss research on the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene and its association with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They found evidence that a specific allele of this gene (7R) may confer advantages in conflict resolution and is more prevalent in ADHD samples. The authors argue this molecular genetic approach can help limit the number of hypotheses about adaptations that need to be considered and avoid issues with relying solely on complex clinical literature.
This study examined how syntactic and semantic processing interact during sentence comprehension using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). The researchers recorded ERPs as participants read sentences varying in the consistency between syntactic and semantic cues. They found that syntactic cues were more likely to be overridden by semantic cues when the cues were partially consistent, eliciting a P600 effect, but resisted semantic cues when inconsistencies required multiple edits, eliciting an N400 effect. The findings provide evidence that syntactic and semantic processing can interact adversarially and independently during sentence comprehension.
This document defines standard terminology for describing the morphology of the hands and feet. It introduces an international effort to standardize terms used in clinical descriptions of the human phenotype. The document defines over 100 terms related to the anatomy of the hands and feet, organized alphabetically into sections on general descriptors, creases, and nails. For each term, a definition and comments are provided to explain clinical significance and replace outdated terminology. The goal is to facilitate more precise communication about morphological findings among clinicians and researchers.
This document discusses cerebral lateralization and differences between the left and right hemispheres. It covers topics such as:
- Broca's and Wernicke's areas and their roles in language processing and aphasia
- Evidence that language functions are typically lateralized to the left hemisphere from studies of aphasia and commissurotomy patients
- Differences in functions between the hemispheres, with the left specialized for language and sequential/analytic tasks and the right for spatial skills, emotion, and holistic processing
- Theories to explain cerebral asymmetry like the analytic-synthetic, motor, and linguistic theories
- Sex differences in lateralization, with some evidence females show less lateralization for language tasks
Accurate Reading With Sequential Presentation Of Single LettersSandra Long
This study investigated a novel method of reading called single letter reading (SLR) which sequentially presents individual letters of words and sentences at a fixed location. Trained participants achieved reading rates over 60 words per minute and over 90% accuracy using SLR. Naive participants achieved average reading rates over 30 words per minute with over 90% accuracy in a single session. The study suggests SLR could facilitate accurate and efficient reading for those with low vision or visual prosthetics limited by spatial and temporal resolution constraints.
Replication of Patel, Gibson, Ratner, Besson & Holbomb (1998)Hui Xin Ng
We report a replication of Patel, Gibson, Ratner, Besson & Holbomb (1998). The results of our replication are largely consistent with the conclusions of the original study. We found evidence of a P600 component of the event-related potential (ERP) in response to syntactic violations in language and harmonic inconsistencies in music. There were some minor differences in the spatial distribution of the P600 on the scalp between the replication and the original. The experiment was pre-registered at https://osf.io/g3b5j/register/565fb3678c5e4a66b5582f6
This study examines how speech sounds are processed in the human auditory system using a meta-analytic approach. The key findings are:
1) Processing of phonemes (short speech elements) is localized to the left mid-superior temporal gyrus (STG), while processing of words is localized more anteriorly in the left STG.
2) The left mid-STG shows adaptation effects consistent with invariant representation of phonemic content, while more anterior regions of the STG respond to later components of multi-segment sounds.
3) Areas along the auditory ventral stream show increasing specialization for speech sounds and invariant representations of phonetic forms in a hierarchical fashion.
This study examined the relationship between handedness and brain activation in visual cortex areas during letter and shape recognition tasks. Ten right-handed subjects underwent fMRI scanning while performing visual tasks. Regions of interest in left and right fusiform gyri were analyzed. Results showed stronger correlations between handedness scores and activity in left visual areas for letters compared to shapes, supporting the hypothesis that handedness relates more to letter recognition lateralization. This suggests handwriting experience influences visual cortex specialization and neural efficiency during development.
Cerebral Asymmetry: A Quantitative, Multifactorial and Plastic Brain PhenotypeMiguel E. Rentería, PhD
Cerebral asymmetry is a complex, multifactorial phenotype influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The document reviews evidence of normal and atypical cerebral asymmetry at the macrostructural level from neuroimaging studies. It describes prominent asymmetries such as the Yakovlevian torque and petalia that separate the hemispheres. Asymmetries in regions like the perisylvian area have been linked to lateralization of language and the central sulcus to handedness. Additional asymmetries in areas like Heschl's gyrus correlate with auditory abilities. Factors like age, gender, brain region and disease state can influence the degree of asymmetry observed.
Attention Makes Moving Objects Be Perceived To Move FasterAmy Roman
Attention can alter the perceived speed of moving objects. In five experiments, attended moving stimuli were judged to move faster than less attended stimuli. However, the change in perceived speed did not correspond to an actual change in the phenomenological appearance of the speed. While attention affects motion perception performance, it does not seem to directly alter the perceived speed of a moving object.
Is there a difference in the pattern of eye movements during visual imagery w...James Allen
This study investigated differences in eye movement patterns during visual imagery of spatial versus object information. 20 subjects viewed arrays of 4 shapes and were asked to recall either the location ("where") or attribute ("what") of a shape. Eye movements were recorded during recall and when simply imagining shapes. Recall of spatial information elicited significantly longer fixations and more fixations in the correct location compared to recall of object information. Subjects' visual working memory did not interact with eye movements. The results provide evidence that visual imagery of spatial and object information interacts differently with eye movements and the brain processes these types of information differently.
Animacy And Syntactic Structure Fronted NPs In EnglishErin Taylor
This document summarizes research on the role of animacy in English syntactic constructions. It discusses two main hypotheses about how animacy influences syntactic realization: 1) grammatical function hierarchy, and 2) word order hierarchy. The study examines left dislocation and topicalization constructions in English to distinguish between these hypotheses. Logistic regression is used to analyze effects while controlling for correlated factors like information status and speaker variation in a corpus of spoken English conversations. Preliminary results suggest animacy has an independent effect on construction choice along with other factors.
This document summarizes a study examining the relationship between fluid intelligence and deficits on executive function tests after frontal lobe lesions. The study assessed whether deficits on executive function tests could be fully explained by reduced fluid intelligence, or if some tests showed additional deficits related to specific impaired regions. The study found that for some widely used tests like the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, fluid intelligence entirely explained performance deficits after frontal lobe lesions. However, for other tests of cognitive and social functions, deficits were only partially explained by fluid intelligence and seemed to associate with lesions in the right anterior frontal cortex. Understanding the relationships between fluid intelligence deficits, more specific impairments, and their brain regions can help clarify the nature of frontal lobe deficits.
This document summarizes a proposed study that aims to investigate the effects of subliminal/supraliminal presentation and shallow/deep levels of processing on explicit memory performance in older adults. The study uses a 2x2 within-subjects design to manipulate presentation type (subliminal vs supraliminal) and level of processing (shallow vs deep). It is hypothesized that deep processing combined with subliminal presentation will yield the highest memory performance scores. Around 50 older adult participants will complete a memory task involving word lists under the different conditions. Their memory will be assessed using a recognition test.
The document summarizes a study that used lexical frequency software to analyze and compare the writing styles of native English speakers and advanced French-speaking English learners. The software generated frequency profiles of word categories and individual words. The analysis found that learner writing overused determiners, pronouns, and adverbs, while underusing conjunctions, prepositions, and nouns compared to native writing. More detailed analysis revealed specific words that were significantly over- or underused, such as learners overusing the pronoun "I" and underusing subordinating conjunctions. The study aims to demonstrate how automatic profiling can reveal stylistic characteristics of learner language.
Assignment 3 The Mozart EffectIn this assignment, you.docxtidwellerin392
Assignment 3: The Mozart Effect
In this assignment, you will read an article about the Mozart effect and identify various parts of the research process. This exercise will help you learn how to read a research article and to understand the research process.
Read the following article:
•Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., & Ky, K. N. (1993). Music and spatial task performance. Nature, 365. 6447: 611. (October 14, 1993). (ProQuest Document ID 76004658).
In your article summary, respond to the following questions:
•State the research hypothesis in your own words. Identify the independent and dependent variables.
•What were some variables the researchers controlled in their study? Why was this necessary?
•What evidence do the researchers offer as a test of their hypothesis? Is this evidence empirical (observable)? Is it valid?
•What explanation do the researchers offer for their findings? Does the evidence justify this explanation?
Read the following article:
Jenkins, J.S. (2001). The Mozart effect. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 94, 170-172.
Based on your readings, respond to the following:
•Do you think there is any merit in the study (Rauscher, Shaw, & Ky, 1993)? Give three reasons for your position.
•Does the study take individual differences in spatial ability into account? Explain your answer.
•What are two ways in which the experiment could be modified to make the results more generalizable?
Write a 5–6-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M1_A3.doc.
By Wednesday, April 15, 2015, deliver your assignment to the M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox.
Assignment 3 Grading Criteria
Maximum Points
Accurately identified and described the research hypothesis and variables studied in the research article. Identified any control variables, and explained the necessity of controlling them.
12
Evaluated validity of the evidence presented as a test of the hypothesis in the research article.
12
Evaluated interpretation of results in the research article.
12
Critically assessed the merit of the research study providing at least three reasons.
12
Evaluated whether the test took into account individual differences in spatial ability giving reasons.
12
Suggested at least two ways to modify the experiment to make the results more generalizable.
20
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
20
Total:
100
Go to the Doc Sharing area for a document explaining the important parts of a journal article. This document will help you complete your paper more successfully.
The Mozart Effect
Abstract
The Mozart Effect is a phenomenon that occurs when individuals listen to the two piano sonata.
The stated resul.
The recognition of spoken word can be viewed as classifying an auditory stimulus to one ‘’word form’’ category, chosen from many alternatives.
This process requires matching of the spoken input with the mental representation associated with the word candidates and selecting one among the several candidates that are atleast partially consistent with the input.
Process of recognizing a spoken word is that it starts from a string of phonemes (Dahan, Magnuson, 2006) establishes how these phonemes should be grouped to form words and passes these words into the next level of processing.
Some theories, though, take a broader view and blur the distinction between speech perception, spoken word recognition, and sentence processing (Elman, 2004; Gaskell & Marslen 1997; Klatt, 1979; McClelland, 1989).
Tognoli & Kelso, Society for Neuroscience 2009, diversity of 10Hz rhythms in ...EmmanuelleTognoli
This document discusses the heterogeneity of 10Hz rhythms seen in EEG data and proposes guidelines for their proper measurement and analysis. It presents a tentative dictionary of various 10Hz rhythms distinguished by their spatial distribution, frequency localization, and functional significance. It also puts forth a theory relating EEG spectral peaks to instantaneous brain oscillation patterns, and how the time scale of analysis impacts which patterns appear as peaks. Analyzing 10Hz rhythms at a fine spectral resolution and temporal scale can provide insights into distinct brain processes and functions.
این مقاله در کارگاه توانبخشی توجه دکتر علیزاده مطرح گردیده است. کارگاه توانبخشی توجه از سری کارگاه های آخر هفته های شناختی است که توسط گروه فروردین برگزار می گردد.
برای دریافت دیگر مقالات و ارائه ها به وب سایت فروردین مراجعه کنید:
www.farvardin-group.com
Why Do I Need To Write My Essays Press Release PGina Brown
The document discusses how children in the 19th century often faced poverty and lived in urban slums. Progressive reformers focused on addressing the problems faced by these children. Their goals were to change perceptions of childhood and promote the proper treatment of children. Reformers advocated for better diets and hygiene for children to improve health outcomes and reduce infant mortality rates.
Top 100 Extended Essay Topics By Extended EssayGina Brown
This document provides instructions for seeking writing help from HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5-step process: 1) Create an account, 2) Complete an order form with instructions and deadline, 3) Review writer bids and choose one, 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment, 5) Request revisions until satisfied. It notes the site uses a bidding system and guarantees original, high-quality content or a full refund.
More Related Content
Similar to A Critical Boundary To The Left-Hemisphere Advantage In Visual-Word Processing
This study examined how syntactic and semantic processing interact during sentence comprehension using event-related brain potentials (ERPs). The researchers recorded ERPs as participants read sentences varying in the consistency between syntactic and semantic cues. They found that syntactic cues were more likely to be overridden by semantic cues when the cues were partially consistent, eliciting a P600 effect, but resisted semantic cues when inconsistencies required multiple edits, eliciting an N400 effect. The findings provide evidence that syntactic and semantic processing can interact adversarially and independently during sentence comprehension.
This document defines standard terminology for describing the morphology of the hands and feet. It introduces an international effort to standardize terms used in clinical descriptions of the human phenotype. The document defines over 100 terms related to the anatomy of the hands and feet, organized alphabetically into sections on general descriptors, creases, and nails. For each term, a definition and comments are provided to explain clinical significance and replace outdated terminology. The goal is to facilitate more precise communication about morphological findings among clinicians and researchers.
This document discusses cerebral lateralization and differences between the left and right hemispheres. It covers topics such as:
- Broca's and Wernicke's areas and their roles in language processing and aphasia
- Evidence that language functions are typically lateralized to the left hemisphere from studies of aphasia and commissurotomy patients
- Differences in functions between the hemispheres, with the left specialized for language and sequential/analytic tasks and the right for spatial skills, emotion, and holistic processing
- Theories to explain cerebral asymmetry like the analytic-synthetic, motor, and linguistic theories
- Sex differences in lateralization, with some evidence females show less lateralization for language tasks
Accurate Reading With Sequential Presentation Of Single LettersSandra Long
This study investigated a novel method of reading called single letter reading (SLR) which sequentially presents individual letters of words and sentences at a fixed location. Trained participants achieved reading rates over 60 words per minute and over 90% accuracy using SLR. Naive participants achieved average reading rates over 30 words per minute with over 90% accuracy in a single session. The study suggests SLR could facilitate accurate and efficient reading for those with low vision or visual prosthetics limited by spatial and temporal resolution constraints.
Replication of Patel, Gibson, Ratner, Besson & Holbomb (1998)Hui Xin Ng
We report a replication of Patel, Gibson, Ratner, Besson & Holbomb (1998). The results of our replication are largely consistent with the conclusions of the original study. We found evidence of a P600 component of the event-related potential (ERP) in response to syntactic violations in language and harmonic inconsistencies in music. There were some minor differences in the spatial distribution of the P600 on the scalp between the replication and the original. The experiment was pre-registered at https://osf.io/g3b5j/register/565fb3678c5e4a66b5582f6
This study examines how speech sounds are processed in the human auditory system using a meta-analytic approach. The key findings are:
1) Processing of phonemes (short speech elements) is localized to the left mid-superior temporal gyrus (STG), while processing of words is localized more anteriorly in the left STG.
2) The left mid-STG shows adaptation effects consistent with invariant representation of phonemic content, while more anterior regions of the STG respond to later components of multi-segment sounds.
3) Areas along the auditory ventral stream show increasing specialization for speech sounds and invariant representations of phonetic forms in a hierarchical fashion.
This study examined the relationship between handedness and brain activation in visual cortex areas during letter and shape recognition tasks. Ten right-handed subjects underwent fMRI scanning while performing visual tasks. Regions of interest in left and right fusiform gyri were analyzed. Results showed stronger correlations between handedness scores and activity in left visual areas for letters compared to shapes, supporting the hypothesis that handedness relates more to letter recognition lateralization. This suggests handwriting experience influences visual cortex specialization and neural efficiency during development.
Cerebral Asymmetry: A Quantitative, Multifactorial and Plastic Brain PhenotypeMiguel E. Rentería, PhD
Cerebral asymmetry is a complex, multifactorial phenotype influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The document reviews evidence of normal and atypical cerebral asymmetry at the macrostructural level from neuroimaging studies. It describes prominent asymmetries such as the Yakovlevian torque and petalia that separate the hemispheres. Asymmetries in regions like the perisylvian area have been linked to lateralization of language and the central sulcus to handedness. Additional asymmetries in areas like Heschl's gyrus correlate with auditory abilities. Factors like age, gender, brain region and disease state can influence the degree of asymmetry observed.
Attention Makes Moving Objects Be Perceived To Move FasterAmy Roman
Attention can alter the perceived speed of moving objects. In five experiments, attended moving stimuli were judged to move faster than less attended stimuli. However, the change in perceived speed did not correspond to an actual change in the phenomenological appearance of the speed. While attention affects motion perception performance, it does not seem to directly alter the perceived speed of a moving object.
Is there a difference in the pattern of eye movements during visual imagery w...James Allen
This study investigated differences in eye movement patterns during visual imagery of spatial versus object information. 20 subjects viewed arrays of 4 shapes and were asked to recall either the location ("where") or attribute ("what") of a shape. Eye movements were recorded during recall and when simply imagining shapes. Recall of spatial information elicited significantly longer fixations and more fixations in the correct location compared to recall of object information. Subjects' visual working memory did not interact with eye movements. The results provide evidence that visual imagery of spatial and object information interacts differently with eye movements and the brain processes these types of information differently.
Animacy And Syntactic Structure Fronted NPs In EnglishErin Taylor
This document summarizes research on the role of animacy in English syntactic constructions. It discusses two main hypotheses about how animacy influences syntactic realization: 1) grammatical function hierarchy, and 2) word order hierarchy. The study examines left dislocation and topicalization constructions in English to distinguish between these hypotheses. Logistic regression is used to analyze effects while controlling for correlated factors like information status and speaker variation in a corpus of spoken English conversations. Preliminary results suggest animacy has an independent effect on construction choice along with other factors.
This document summarizes a study examining the relationship between fluid intelligence and deficits on executive function tests after frontal lobe lesions. The study assessed whether deficits on executive function tests could be fully explained by reduced fluid intelligence, or if some tests showed additional deficits related to specific impaired regions. The study found that for some widely used tests like the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, fluid intelligence entirely explained performance deficits after frontal lobe lesions. However, for other tests of cognitive and social functions, deficits were only partially explained by fluid intelligence and seemed to associate with lesions in the right anterior frontal cortex. Understanding the relationships between fluid intelligence deficits, more specific impairments, and their brain regions can help clarify the nature of frontal lobe deficits.
This document summarizes a proposed study that aims to investigate the effects of subliminal/supraliminal presentation and shallow/deep levels of processing on explicit memory performance in older adults. The study uses a 2x2 within-subjects design to manipulate presentation type (subliminal vs supraliminal) and level of processing (shallow vs deep). It is hypothesized that deep processing combined with subliminal presentation will yield the highest memory performance scores. Around 50 older adult participants will complete a memory task involving word lists under the different conditions. Their memory will be assessed using a recognition test.
The document summarizes a study that used lexical frequency software to analyze and compare the writing styles of native English speakers and advanced French-speaking English learners. The software generated frequency profiles of word categories and individual words. The analysis found that learner writing overused determiners, pronouns, and adverbs, while underusing conjunctions, prepositions, and nouns compared to native writing. More detailed analysis revealed specific words that were significantly over- or underused, such as learners overusing the pronoun "I" and underusing subordinating conjunctions. The study aims to demonstrate how automatic profiling can reveal stylistic characteristics of learner language.
Assignment 3 The Mozart EffectIn this assignment, you.docxtidwellerin392
Assignment 3: The Mozart Effect
In this assignment, you will read an article about the Mozart effect and identify various parts of the research process. This exercise will help you learn how to read a research article and to understand the research process.
Read the following article:
•Rauscher, F. H., Shaw, G. L., & Ky, K. N. (1993). Music and spatial task performance. Nature, 365. 6447: 611. (October 14, 1993). (ProQuest Document ID 76004658).
In your article summary, respond to the following questions:
•State the research hypothesis in your own words. Identify the independent and dependent variables.
•What were some variables the researchers controlled in their study? Why was this necessary?
•What evidence do the researchers offer as a test of their hypothesis? Is this evidence empirical (observable)? Is it valid?
•What explanation do the researchers offer for their findings? Does the evidence justify this explanation?
Read the following article:
Jenkins, J.S. (2001). The Mozart effect. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 94, 170-172.
Based on your readings, respond to the following:
•Do you think there is any merit in the study (Rauscher, Shaw, & Ky, 1993)? Give three reasons for your position.
•Does the study take individual differences in spatial ability into account? Explain your answer.
•What are two ways in which the experiment could be modified to make the results more generalizable?
Write a 5–6-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M1_A3.doc.
By Wednesday, April 15, 2015, deliver your assignment to the M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox.
Assignment 3 Grading Criteria
Maximum Points
Accurately identified and described the research hypothesis and variables studied in the research article. Identified any control variables, and explained the necessity of controlling them.
12
Evaluated validity of the evidence presented as a test of the hypothesis in the research article.
12
Evaluated interpretation of results in the research article.
12
Critically assessed the merit of the research study providing at least three reasons.
12
Evaluated whether the test took into account individual differences in spatial ability giving reasons.
12
Suggested at least two ways to modify the experiment to make the results more generalizable.
20
Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
20
Total:
100
Go to the Doc Sharing area for a document explaining the important parts of a journal article. This document will help you complete your paper more successfully.
The Mozart Effect
Abstract
The Mozart Effect is a phenomenon that occurs when individuals listen to the two piano sonata.
The stated resul.
The recognition of spoken word can be viewed as classifying an auditory stimulus to one ‘’word form’’ category, chosen from many alternatives.
This process requires matching of the spoken input with the mental representation associated with the word candidates and selecting one among the several candidates that are atleast partially consistent with the input.
Process of recognizing a spoken word is that it starts from a string of phonemes (Dahan, Magnuson, 2006) establishes how these phonemes should be grouped to form words and passes these words into the next level of processing.
Some theories, though, take a broader view and blur the distinction between speech perception, spoken word recognition, and sentence processing (Elman, 2004; Gaskell & Marslen 1997; Klatt, 1979; McClelland, 1989).
Tognoli & Kelso, Society for Neuroscience 2009, diversity of 10Hz rhythms in ...EmmanuelleTognoli
This document discusses the heterogeneity of 10Hz rhythms seen in EEG data and proposes guidelines for their proper measurement and analysis. It presents a tentative dictionary of various 10Hz rhythms distinguished by their spatial distribution, frequency localization, and functional significance. It also puts forth a theory relating EEG spectral peaks to instantaneous brain oscillation patterns, and how the time scale of analysis impacts which patterns appear as peaks. Analyzing 10Hz rhythms at a fine spectral resolution and temporal scale can provide insights into distinct brain processes and functions.
این مقاله در کارگاه توانبخشی توجه دکتر علیزاده مطرح گردیده است. کارگاه توانبخشی توجه از سری کارگاه های آخر هفته های شناختی است که توسط گروه فروردین برگزار می گردد.
برای دریافت دیگر مقالات و ارائه ها به وب سایت فروردین مراجعه کنید:
www.farvardin-group.com
Similar to A Critical Boundary To The Left-Hemisphere Advantage In Visual-Word Processing (20)
Why Do I Need To Write My Essays Press Release PGina Brown
The document discusses how children in the 19th century often faced poverty and lived in urban slums. Progressive reformers focused on addressing the problems faced by these children. Their goals were to change perceptions of childhood and promote the proper treatment of children. Reformers advocated for better diets and hygiene for children to improve health outcomes and reduce infant mortality rates.
Top 100 Extended Essay Topics By Extended EssayGina Brown
This document provides instructions for seeking writing help from HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5-step process: 1) Create an account, 2) Complete an order form with instructions and deadline, 3) Review writer bids and choose one, 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment, 5) Request revisions until satisfied. It notes the site uses a bidding system and guarantees original, high-quality content or a full refund.
College Essay Career Goals - Educational And CareerGina Brown
1. The document discusses Kant's ethical theory of deontology, which focuses on duties and obligations rather than consequences of actions.
2. Kant's Categorical Imperative states that people should only act in a way that they can universalize and apply to everyone. This provides a test to determine if an action is morally right.
3. Lying to get out of a problematic situation is used as an example - if lying could become a universal rule without contradiction, then it would be morally permissible under Kant's theory. However, universalizing the rule of lying generally leads to contradictions.
The Value Of Education - Assignment PointGina Brown
The document discusses conducting a feasibility study to analyze alternative solutions to a problem and recommend the best option. A feasibility study examines market issues, technical and organizational requirements, and financial overview to determine if a new system can solve the problem more efficiently than the current one. The results of the feasibility study are then used to inform the decision on whether to implement the new system.
Thematic Photo Essay Examples Sitedoct.OrgGina Brown
The document discusses how language can influence the process of obtaining informed consent from patients or research participants. Issues of comprehension, fluency, and perceived power dynamics are important to consider. The person obtaining consent must be able to clearly explain the study in a way that promotes understanding. Informed consent requires voluntary participation and full comprehension of risks and goals.
Scholarship Essay Compare And Contrast Essay IntroduGina Brown
The document discusses the process for obtaining writing assistance from HelpWriting.net. It involves 5 steps: 1) Create an account with a password and email. 2) Complete an order form providing instructions, sources, and deadline. 3) Review bids from writers and select one based on qualifications. 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment if satisfied. 5) Request revisions until fully satisfied, with a refund offered for plagiarized work. The service aims to provide original, high-quality content through a bidding system and revision process.
College Essay Examples Of Essay About LifeGina Brown
This summary provides an overview of the document in 3 sentences:
The document discusses steps to request a paper writing service through HelpWriting.net, including creating an account, providing instructions for the paper in an order form, and selecting a writer to complete the work. The bidding process and paper revisions are described. The service aims to provide original, high-quality content and offers refunds if papers are plagiarized.
Writing The Thesis Statement Write An A Research Paper - How To WriteGina Brown
The document discusses two female artists from different eras - Sofonisba Anguissola from the Renaissance period and Artemisia Gentileschi from the Baroque period. It notes some similarities in their lives and careers, such as both losing their mothers at a young age and traveling between various cities. It also discusses influences on their artistic styles, with Gentileschi being inspired by Caravaggio's tenebrism technique. There are suggested connections between the artists through other famous figures of their time as well.
Sample Persuasive Speech Powerpoint Defining A PeGina Brown
The document provides background information on the establishment of Liberia. It discusses how Liberia was founded in 1816 by the American Colonization Society to resettle freed American slaves in Africa. The first settlers established the settlement of Monrovia in 1824. Over time, conflicts arose between the settlers and the American society. In the mid-20th century, Liberia pursued economic development through foreign investment in iron ore mining, while indigenous groups were still denied full political rights.
Winter Writing Paper Free Worksheets. Online assignment writing service.Gina Brown
1. The document provides instructions for requesting and obtaining writing assistance from HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5-step process: creating an account, submitting a request form, reviewing writer bids and selecting one, revising the paper if needed, and requesting revisions.
2. The site uses a bidding system where writers submit bids to complete writing requests, and clients can choose a writer based on qualifications, history, and feedback. The site promises original, high-quality work or a full refund.
3. The process allows clients to obtain writing assistance by having writers complete their assignments according to the provided instructions and deadline. Clients can also request revisions to ensure satisfaction.
Formal Essay What It Is And How To Write ItGina Brown
The document provides instructions for submitting an assignment request to the website HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5-step process: 1) Create an account with a password and email. 2) Complete a 10-minute order form providing instructions, sources, and deadline. 3) Review bids from writers and choose one. 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment. 5) Request revisions until satisfied with the work. The purpose is to help students get high-quality original assignments written for them through this online service.
Funny College Essay - College Homework Help AGina Brown
The document provides instructions for requesting and completing an assignment writing request through the HelpWriting.net website. It outlines a 5-step process: 1) Create an account with a password and email; 2) Complete a 10-minute order form with instructions, sources, and deadline; 3) Review bids from writers and choose one; 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment; 5) Request revisions until satisfied. It emphasizes the site's commitment to original, high-quality work and full refunds for plagiarized content.
Hoja Para Escribir Texto - SEONegativo.ComGina Brown
This document summarizes the key steps to request writing assistance from the website HelpWriting.net:
1. Create an account with a password and valid email.
2. Complete a 10-minute order form providing instructions, sources, deadline, and attaching a sample work if wanting the writer to mimic your style.
3. Review bids from writers and choose one based on qualifications, history, and feedback, then pay a deposit to start the assignment.
4. Ensure the completed paper meets expectations, and if so, authorize full payment to the writer. Revisions are free.
Tips For Writing A Thesis Introduction - Writefiction58Gina Brown
The document provides tips for writing a thesis or requesting writing help from HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5 step process: 1) Create an account, 2) Complete an order form providing instructions, sources and deadline, 3) Review bids from writers and choose one, 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment, 5) Request revisions to ensure satisfaction and get a refund if plagiarized. The service aims to provide original, high-quality content meeting customers' needs.
Research Paper Outline 8Th Grade - How To Write A ReGina Brown
1. The document outlines 5 steps for requesting an assignment writing service from HelpWriting.net, including creating an account, submitting a request form, reviewing bids from writers, choosing a writer, and authorizing payment upon approval of the completed work.
2. Users can request revisions to ensure satisfaction with the completed assignment. HelpWriting.net promises original, high-quality content and refunds for plagiarized work.
3. The document provides instructions for using HelpWriting.net's assignment writing service.
92 Inspiration Forms Of Narrative Stories In GraphiGina Brown
The document provides instructions for requesting writing assistance from HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5-step process: 1) Create an account with a password and email; 2) Complete a 10-minute order form with instructions, sources, and deadline; 3) Review bids from writers and select one; 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment; 5) Request revisions until satisfied, with a refund option for plagiarism. The service aims to fully meet customer needs through this process.
001 Essay About Myself Thatsnotus. Online assignment writing service.Gina Brown
The document discusses how DNA evidence can be a powerful forensic tool for identifying criminals. DNA fingerprinting was first used in court in 1987, and even a small sample of hair, skin, or saliva contains enough DNA to identify a unique individual through analysis of short tandem repeats (STRs) in their DNA. Microbes like bacteria are also discussed, noting that while some can cause illness, others can be engineered to produce medicines through transgenic bacteria.
What Does A Research Paper Look Like For A Science FairGina Brown
This document discusses the importance and impact of English in Kenya. While English serves as an important lingua franca and was adopted post-colonization, its use has also divided society between elites who are proficient in English versus commoners who have low English comprehension. There are concerns that political elites use English selectively to maintain power over large segments of the population who do not fully understand the language.
Apsolventska Godina I Studentska Prava RCroatiaGina Brown
The document discusses the steps to get writing help from the website HelpWriting.net. It outlines registering for an account, completing an order form with instructions and deadline, reviewing writer bids and choosing one, placing a deposit to start the work, reviewing and approving the completed paper, and having the option to request revisions. The website promises original, high-quality content and refunds for plagiarized work.
This presentation was provided by Rebecca Benner, Ph.D., of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, for the second session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session Two: 'Expanding Pathways to Publishing Careers,' was held June 13, 2024.
Elevate Your Nonprofit's Online Presence_ A Guide to Effective SEO Strategies...TechSoup
Whether you're new to SEO or looking to refine your existing strategies, this webinar will provide you with actionable insights and practical tips to elevate your nonprofit's online presence.
Andreas Schleicher presents PISA 2022 Volume III - Creative Thinking - 18 Jun...EduSkills OECD
Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills at the OECD presents at the launch of PISA 2022 Volume III - Creative Minds, Creative Schools on 18 June 2024.
Gender and Mental Health - Counselling and Family Therapy Applications and In...PsychoTech Services
A proprietary approach developed by bringing together the best of learning theories from Psychology, design principles from the world of visualization, and pedagogical methods from over a decade of training experience, that enables you to: Learn better, faster!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
إضغ بين إيديكم من أقوى الملازم التي صممتها
ملزمة تشريح الجهاز الهيكلي (نظري 3)
💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
تتميز هذهِ الملزمة بعِدة مُميزات :
1- مُترجمة ترجمة تُناسب جميع المستويات
2- تحتوي على 78 رسم توضيحي لكل كلمة موجودة بالملزمة (لكل كلمة !!!!)
#فهم_ماكو_درخ
3- دقة الكتابة والصور عالية جداً جداً جداً
4- هُنالك بعض المعلومات تم توضيحها بشكل تفصيلي جداً (تُعتبر لدى الطالب أو الطالبة بإنها معلومات مُبهمة ومع ذلك تم توضيح هذهِ المعلومات المُبهمة بشكل تفصيلي جداً
5- الملزمة تشرح نفسها ب نفسها بس تكلك تعال اقراني
6- تحتوي الملزمة في اول سلايد على خارطة تتضمن جميع تفرُعات معلومات الجهاز الهيكلي المذكورة في هذهِ الملزمة
واخيراً هذهِ الملزمة حلالٌ عليكم وإتمنى منكم إن تدعولي بالخير والصحة والعافية فقط
كل التوفيق زملائي وزميلاتي ، زميلكم محمد الذهبي 💊💊
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
A Critical Boundary To The Left-Hemisphere Advantage In Visual-Word Processing
1. A critical boundary to the left-hemisphere advantage
in visual-word processing
Rebecca G. Deason*, Chad J. Marsolek
Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Accepted 17 June 2004
Available online 26 October 2004
Abstract
Two experiments explored boundary conditions for the ubiquitous left-hemisphere advantage in visual-word recognition. Sub-
jects perceptually identified words presented directly to the left or right hemisphere. Strong left-hemisphere advantages were
observed for UPPERCASE and lowercase words. However, only a weak effect was observed for AlTeRnAtInG-cAsE words,
and a numerical reversal of the typical left-hemisphere advantage was observed for words in a visual prototype font (a very unfa-
miliar word format). Results support the theory that dissociable abstract and specific neural subsystems underlie visual-form rec-
ognition and fail to support the theory that a visual lexicon operates in the left hemisphere.
Ó 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Functional hemispheric asymmetries; Letter case; Case alternation; Word recognition; Categories; Exemplars
1. Introduction
One of the most well-established findings in neuro-
psychology is that visual words are processed more
effectively when they are presented directly to the left
cerebral hemisphere than to the right (e.g., Babkoff,
Faust, & Lavidor, 1997; Beaumont, 1982; Bradshaw &
Nettleton, 1983; Bub & Lewine, 1988; Burgund & Mar-
solek, 1997; Chiarello, 1985, 1988; Ellis, Young, &
Anderson, 1988; Eviatar, Menn, & Zaidel, 1990; Fiset
& Arguin, 1999; Hines, 1978; Jordan, Redwood, &
Patching, 2003; Koenig, Wetzel, & Caramazza, 1992;
Krueger, 1975; Lambert & Beaumont, 1983; Lavidor
& Ellis, 2001; Lavidor, Ellis, & Pansky, 2002; Leiber,
1976; Liu, Chiarello, & Quan, 1999; Schmuller & Good-
man, 1979; Young, Ellis, & Bion, 1984; Young & Ellis,
1985; for a review, see Chiarello, Liu, & Shears, 2001).
The most common interpretation of this phenomenon
is that lexical access and language processing in general
are accomplished more effectively in the left hemisphere
than in the right, but this explanation is not without
competition. Exploring the boundary conditions of the
consistently demonstrated left-hemisphere advantage
may help to determine what underlies the effect. A useful
variable for exploring such boundary conditions may be
the familiarity of visual formats for word presentation.
A word presented in an unfamiliar visual format can
be associated with the same phonological and semantic
information as it would when presented in a more famil-
iar form, but the visual processing may differ depending
on the formats. Could the left-hemisphere advantage in
word recognition be eliminated with the use of an unfa-
miliar visual format?
One prediction is that the left-hemisphere advantage
should be eliminated when words are presented in an
unfamiliar format. By unfamiliar format, we mean when
words are displayed in such a manner that they take the
shape of unfamiliar wholes (i.e., forms that—in terms of
their entire holistic configurations—are unlikely to have
been viewed before). This can create a situation in which
0093-934X/$ - see front matter Ó 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.bandl.2004.06.105
*
Corresponding author. Fax: 1-612-624-2079.
E-mail address: deas0007@umn.edu (R.G. Deason).
URL: http://levels.psych.umn.edu.
www.elsevier.com/locate/b&l
Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261
2. processing in the right hemisphere is relatively more
advantaged than when the stimuli are not unfamiliar
wholes. This prediction comes from an abstract/specific
neural subsystems theory.
Dissociable neural subsystems appear to operate
asymmetrically to underlie visual-form recognition
(Marsolek, 1995, 1999, 2004; Marsolek, Kosslyn, &
Squire, 1992; for a review, see Marsolek & Burgund,
1997). An abstract-category subsystem recognizes the
visual-form category to which an input belongs (e.g.,
the visual-form category for band/BAND) and operates
more effectively than a specific-exemplar subsystem in
the left cerebral hemisphere. In contrast, a specific-
exemplar subsystem recognizes the visual exemplar to
which an input form corresponds (e.g., the exemplar
for ‘‘band’’ which is different from the exemplar for
‘‘BAND’’) and operates more effectively than an
abstract-category subsystem in the right cerebral
hemisphere.
According to this theory, left-hemisphere advantages
are observed typically in visual-word processing studies
using familiar stimuli because an abstract subsystem
operates effectively in the left hemisphere and most word
processing tasks require the participant to recognize the
abstract category of an input (e.g., what word is it or is it
a word?) rather than the specific exemplar to which it
corresponds (e.g., which specific exemplar is it?). Rarely
do we need to recognize an exemplar (e.g., ‘‘band’’ in
lowercase 12-point Times font) in word processing tasks
or in everyday reading situations, and rarely do cogni-
tive experiments require participants to do so (for an
exception, see Burgund & Marsolek, 1997). Also accord-
ing to this theory, the use of unfamiliar stimuli may alter
the situation. Left-hemisphere advantages may not be
observed in visual-word processing studies using unfa-
miliar stimuli because novel visual whole forms can be
processed effectively by a specific subsystem, which
may counteract any tendency for a left-hemisphere
advantage caused by the goals of the experimental task.
Some of the evidence in support of this theory comes
from visual-form classification studies. Marsolek (1995)
conducted experiments in which subjects first viewed
unfamiliar letter-like forms (stick figures) presented in
the central visual field and learned to classify these
forms into eight different categories. Then, they were
asked to classify laterally presented forms into the newly
learned categories. Subjects classified the previously un-
seen central tendencies (prototypes) of the categories
more efficiently when they were presented directly to
the left hemisphere than when they were presented di-
rectly to the right. An abstract subsystem should excel
at storing prototypes for categories in particular because
prototypes contain the features shared by many mem-
bers of a category but not features that are distinctive
to different exemplars in a category. In addition, subjects
classified the forms that were previously presented dur-
ing the learning phase more efficiently when those forms
were presented directly to the right hemisphere than
when they were presented directly to the left. A specific
subsystem should excel at storing the previously pre-
sented exemplars in particular because it differentiates
specific exemplars effectively.
These results support the theory that dissociable neu-
ral subsystems are involved. In divided-visual-field
experiments, when stimuli are presented directly to one
hemisphere, subsystems in that hemisphere are given
advantages in timing and in the quality of the informa-
tion received over subsystems in the other hemisphere
(as measured via neuronal firing, e.g., Gross, Rocha-Mi-
randa, & Bender, 1972, and amplitudes of functional
magnetic resonance signals, Tootell, Mendola, Hadjikh-
ani, Liu, & Dale, 1998, following contralateral vs. ipsi-
lateral visual stimulation). Thus, if the characteristic
processing of one hypothesized subsystem (storing pro-
totypes effectively) is observed when subsystems in the
left hemisphere are advantaged by the visual input,
and if the characteristic processing of another hypothe-
sized subsystem (storing exemplars effectively) is ob-
served when subsystems in the right hemisphere are
advantaged by the visual input, then the two subsystems
appear to operate at least relatively independently.
Similar results were obtained in another study when
familiar stimuli (single letters) were used, but the famil-
iarity of the visual format varied. Bryden and Allard
(1976) presented letters printed in ten different fonts to
the right or left visual field. Most of the letters were
identified more accurately when presented directly to
the left hemisphere than to the right, but the letters
printed in two of the fonts yielded the opposite result.
The two fonts that led to a right-hemisphere advantage
differed from the other fonts in being much more script-
like and atypical. In other words, a left-hemisphere
advantage was observed when letters were presented in
prototypical fonts (sans serif), whereas a right-hemi-
sphere advantage was observed when letters were pre-
sented in the relatively less familiar or less prototypical
of the fonts (serif).
Other evidence more directly indicates that a specific
subsystem in the right hemisphere stores novel visual
wholes effectively (Marsolek, Schacter, & Nicholas,
1996). In repetition priming experiments, participants
first read centrally presented word pairs (one word
above the other) and then completed word–stems pre-
sented beneath (complete) context words in the left or
right visual field. Word–stem completion priming that
was specific to a letter-case match between prime words
and test stems was found only when the context word
was the same word that had previously appeared above
the primed completion word and the test items were pre-
sented directly to the right hemisphere. Priming that was
not letter-case specific did not depend on context
or hemisphere of direct stimulus presentation. Thus, a
252 R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261
3. subsystem that stores the visually distinctive information
needed to differentiate lowercase and uppercase versions
of the same word appears to operate more effectively in
the right hemisphere than in the left. Also, letter-case
specific priming was dependent on visual context, there-
fore this specific visual-form subsystem apparently stores
word pairs as single novel whole representations.
Most important for present purposes, these results
indicate that left-hemisphere advantages have been ob-
served for visual forms that are very typical for their
shape categories, such as prototypes or forms that are
visually very similar to prototypes (e.g., the letter ‘‘a’’
in a common font). In contrast, left-hemisphere advan-
tages have not been observed (and sometimes right-
hemisphere advantages are observed) for visual forms
that are very atypical for their shape categories, such
as forms that are distinctive or dissimilar to the proto-
types (e.g., a letter in an unfamiliar serif font), or when
novel visual whole representations are stored. By the ab-
stract and specific subsystems theory, a left-hemisphere
advantage may not be observed for processing visually
unfamiliar word forms.
A different prediction concerning asymmetries in pro-
cessing visual words comes from the theory that the left
hemisphere contains a visual lexicon that is not present
in the right hemisphere (Arguin, Bub, & Bowers, 1998;
Bowers, 1996; Jordan et al., 2003; Miozzo & Caram-
azza, 1998). For example, Jordan et al. (2003) hypothe-
size that stimuli presented directly to the left hemisphere
are advantaged by direct access to lexical representa-
tions that allow word recognition. Words presented di-
rectly to the right hemisphere are disadvantaged by
having to cross commissures to the left hemisphere for
recognition to occur. In addition, neuroimaging and
neuropsychological results have long suggested that
areas in the left hemisphere play very important roles
in visual-word recognition (Beauregard et al., 1997;
Beversdorf, Ratcliffe, Rhodes, & Reeves, 1997; Damasio
& Damasio, 1983; Petersen, Fox, Snyder, & Raichle,
1990; Reuter-Lorenz & Baynes, 1992). By the visual lex-
icon theory, left-hemisphere advantages should always
be observed for visual-word recognition, no matter what
kinds of word stimuli are presented.
Recently, Polk and Farah (2002) used functional
magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the ‘‘visual-
word-form area’’ of the brain. This is an area in the left
ventral visual stream that has been activated by words
and word-like stimuli in previous studies (Petersen
et al., 1990). In the new experiment, subjects passively
viewed different types of stimuli including words,
pseudowords, and consonant strings as well as alternat-
ing-case versions of words and pseudowords. They ob-
served (as Petersen et al. had before) that this area was
more activated by words and pseudowords than by con-
sonant strings. More important, no difference in activa-
tion was observed between words and pseudowords
presented in alternating-case format vs. words and
pseudowords presented in pure-case formats. This indi-
cates that the left-hemisphere visual-word-form area is
not sensitive to the perceptual familiarity of the stimuli.
If this area underlies a visual lexicon that is needed for
visual-word processing, then alternating-case words
should yield the same kind of left-hemisphere advantage
in divided-visual-field experiments that lowercase and
uppercase words yield, despite the fact that alternat-
ing-case words are visually unfamiliar forms.
Alternating case (or case mixing) has been a very use-
ful method of examining visual-word recognition in
behavioral studies (Besner, 1983). Several recent studies
have directly measured the effect of case alternation on
lateralized word presentations (Fiset & Arguin, 1999;
Jordan et al., 2003; Lavidor & Ellis, 2001; Lavidor
et al., 2002). First, Jordan et al. have used the word-
superiority effect (Reicher, 1969; Wheeler, 1970) to dem-
onstrate that alternating-case words are processed more
effectively when presented directly to the left hemisphere
than to the right. In that study, a word, a pseudoword,
or a consonant string was presented in uppercase, lower-
case, or alternating case briefly in the left or right visual
field. After the string disappeared, a row of dashes ap-
peared in the center of the screen to correspond with
the letters of the flashed word. Above and below one
of the dashes, two different letters were presented. The
subject then had to decide which of those two letters
had been presented in that position in the previous letter
string. The typical word-superiority effect was observed,
in that participants were more accurate when words
were presented than when consonant strings were pre-
sented. In addition, this word-superiority effect was
greater when strings were presented directly to the left
hemisphere than to the right, and this asymmetry effect
was observed for alternating-case, uppercase, and lower-
case words. This finding supports the left-hemisphere
lexicon theory, given that a hallmark of the visual lexi-
con is that it includes knowledge of how letters can be
sequenced to form valid words, and given that top–
down processing from word representations to letter
representations presumably underlies the word-superior-
ity effect.
However, it is not clear whether the top–down pro-
cessing underlying the word-superiority effect takes
place from visual word representations to letter repre-
sentations. One could argue that top–down processing
from post-visual word representations (e.g., phonologi-
cal or semantic word representations) can support the
effect, given the highly interactive nature of different
processing subsystems of the brain (e.g., for an argu-
ment that phonological recoding is involved, see Carr
& Pollatsek, 1985). If so, evidence from the Reicher–
Wheeler task may not strongly constrain theories of
the visual processing of word forms in areas of extrastri-
ate visual cortex.
R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261 253
4. Lexical decision tasks have been used in other studies
to examine the effect of alternating case on lateralized
word presentations. In these studies, word/nonword
decisions were made after letter strings were presented
directly to the left or right hemisphere. Fiset and Arguin
(1999) reported that case alternation detrimentally af-
fected performance following direct left-hemisphere pre-
sentations only. However, from this brief report, it
cannot be verified whether a left-hemisphere advantage
(over the right) was observed for the alternating-case
stimuli. This experiment also lacked an uppercase condi-
tion to fully counterbalance the experiment (see Note 1
in Jordan et al., 2003). Other researchers compared
uppercase, lowercase, and alternating-case performance
in the lexical decision task and reported more complete
results (Lavidor & Ellis, 2001; Lavidor et al., 2002).
Most important, the typical left-hemisphere advantage
was observed for lowercase words (magnitudes of 41
and 39ms in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively) and
for uppercase words (magnitudes of 40 and 44ms, in
Experiments 1 and 2, respectively), but it was unclear
whether significant effects extended to alternating-case
words (Lavidor et al., 2002). For alternating-case words,
a numerical left-hemisphere advantage was found (mag-
nitudes of 12ms in both Experiments 1 and 2), but the
reported results did not allow a test of whether these ef-
fects were significant; the researchers were interested in
different questions. To the extent that the left-hemi-
sphere advantage for processing alternating-case words
may be reliable in this study, the results support the
left-hemisphere lexicon theory, in that they indicate that
the left-hemisphere advantage for processing words is
observed even for unfamiliar visual-word forms (alter-
nating-case words).
However, evidence from the lexical decision task may
not be the most useful for testing theories of visual-word
processing. Mayall and Humphreys (1996) compared
performance with mixed-case words and pure-case
words on several word tasks and demonstrated that case
mixing had more of a cost on the lexical decision task
than on either the word naming or semantic classifica-
tion tasks. These findings support the idea that a ‘‘famil-
iarity discrimination mechanism’’ may be involved in
lexical decision (Besner, 1983). Because alternating case
disrupts the outline shape of a word form, this manipu-
lation reduces the familiarity of the overall form. Besner
has argued that a crude estimate of this kind of familiar-
ity of the overall form can be used to perform a lexical
decision, independently of an identification of which
word was presented. If so, the processing in this task
may not reflect the processing that takes place when a
visual-form input is recognized or identified per se,
and results from other tasks are needed to test the main
question of whether a left-hemisphere advantage is ob-
served for unfamiliar forms of words (e.g., alternating-
case words).
Therefore, in this study, the perceptual identification
task was used to assess word recognition performance.
In the perceptual identification task, words are pre-
sented very briefly, and participants are asked to visually
identify and write down each word. Unlike the lexical
decision task, this task requires identification of the
word, and a crude estimate of familiarity of the overall
form would not suffice for accurate performance. In
addition, unlike the Reicher–Wheeler task, perceptual
identification involves simple recognition of a word,
and interpretation of results does not rely on assump-
tions about the particular representations involved in a
top–down process that takes place after identification
of the word.
2. Experiment 1
In this experiment, participants perceptually identi-
fied visual words presented directly to the left or right
hemisphere (briefly in the left or right visual field).
The words were lowercase, UPPERCASE, or AlTeR-
nAtInG-cAsE. The hypotheses were as follows. If the
typical left-hemisphere advantage in visual-word pro-
cessing is observed for uppercase and lowercase words
but not for alternating-case words in a significant inter-
action effect, the abstract/specific subsystems theory
would be supported. If, on the other hand, the left-hemi-
sphere advantage is significant for all three stimulus
types, then the theory of a left-hemisphere lexicon would
be supported.
2.1. Method
2.1.1. Subjects
Sixty undergraduates (30 male and 30 female) at the
University of Minnesota participated for course extra
credit. All subjects were right-handed as measured by
the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971).
The average laterality quotient was 0.86.
2.1.2. Materials
Ninety-six four-letter words were selected using only
letters of the alphabet for which the uppercase letter is
visually dissimilar from the lowercase letter (a/A, b/B,
d/D, e/E, f/F, g/G, h/H, l/L, m/M, n/N, r/R, and t/T;
Marsolek, 2004), according to cluster analyses reported
in Boles and Clifford (1989). (q/Q is also a dissimilar let-
ter but was not used in any of the four-letter words.)
Words composed of these dissimilar-case letters were
used to maximize the effect of presenting words in alter-
nating case (e.g., ‘‘bAnD’’ is more visually dissimilar to
‘‘band’’ than ‘‘cOwS’’ is to ‘‘cows’’). The words were
medium frequency (mean frequency of occurrence in
written English=73.2; Francis & Kucera, 1982). The
words were presented in three manners: lowercase,
254 R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261
5. uppercase, or alternating-case. For each participant,
half of the alternating-case words began with an upper-
case letter while the other half began with a lowercase
letter. The words were presented in 24-point bold format
in five different fonts: Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Times,
or Verdana, with font manipulated between subjects.
Six counterbalancing lists of 16 words each were gen-
erated, with mean word frequency balanced across lists.
For each participant, the six lists were used to represent
the six conditions defined by orthogonally combining
hemisphere of direct presentation (left vs. right) and
word case (lowercase vs. uppercase, vs. alternating-
case). Counterbalancing of stimuli was accomplished
by rotating lists through those conditions across partic-
ipants, so that each word was used to represent each
experimental condition an equal number of times across
participants (including both genders).
Stimuli were presented on a NEC AccuSync 75F
monitor controlled by an Apple Power Macintosh
7600/132. Participants placed their head in a chin rest
that kept their eyes 50cm from the monitor.
2.1.3. Procedure
Participants were tested in individually conducted ses-
sions. They were told that they would view words
printed in all lowercase, all uppercase, or alternating
lowercase and uppercase letters (e.g., ‘‘WoRd’’). They
were told that the words would be presented very briefly
to the left or right of the center of the display and that
their task was to visually identify the word and write it
down on a response sheet as accurately as possible. They
did not have to write their word responses in any partic-
ular manner (e.g., they did not have to write word re-
sponses in the letter-cases used for visual presentation).
In addition, the instructions encouraged participants to
make a guess if a word was not identified with confi-
dence, and the experimenter emphasized that each stim-
ulus was a genuine word in the English language.
The sequence of events for each trial was as follows.
Each trial was initiated by the presentation of a fixation
point (a dot) in the center of the display for 500ms. Par-
ticipants were instructed to focus their eyes on the dot
and to not attempt to guess the side on which the next
stimulus would be presented. Once the dot disappeared,
a word appeared briefly in the left or right visual field.
Each word was centered 2.23cm (2.55°) to the left or
right of the center of the display, with the inner edge
of the word never appearing closer than 1cm (1.15°)
from the center of the display. For lowercase and upper-
case words, the presentation time was 13ms, and for
alternating-case words, the presentation time was
144ms. A pilot study determined that 13ms presenta-
tions of lowercase and uppercase words yielded identifi-
cation performance that avoided ceiling effects in
accuracy and 144ms presentations of alternating-case
words yielded identification performance that was simi-
lar to the mean performance with lowercase and upper-
case words.
Words were presented in a pseudorandom order. The
order was constrained so that no more than three con-
secutive words would be presented to the same visual
field and so that no more than three consecutive words
would be presented in the same letter case. Twelve addi-
tional trials were presented (using 12 additional word
stimuli) at the beginning of the session for practice
and warm-up.
2.2. Results
In both experiments reported in this article, a re-
sponse was scored as correct only if the response word
matched the presented word exactly. This strict criterion
meant that no differences such as plural and past tense
forms were accepted. Identification accuracy levels for
uppercase, lowercase, and alternating-case words are
shown in Fig. 1.
Two repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANO-
VAs) were conducted, one using participants as the ran-
dom variable (denoted F1 below) and the other using
items as the random variable (denoted F2 below). The
dependent variable for both analyses was percent accu-
racy of perceptual identification. Both ANOVAs exam-
ined two within-subject variables, hemisphere of direct
word presentation (left vs. right) and word case (lower-
case vs. uppercase vs. alternating-case). Font of word
stimuli and gender of participant were included in initial
analyses, but did not exhibit any significant effects and
so were not included in the analyses reported below.
The most important result was that the interaction be-
tween hemisphere of direct word presentation and word
case was significant, F1(2,118)=27.15, MSe =117.67,
p<.0001, F2(2,190)=19.16, MSe =266.73, p<.0001.
Simple effect contrasts indicated a strong left-hemi-
sphere advantage for the uppercase words (left=84.4%,
right=68.0%), F1(1,177)=58.02, MSe =138.3, p<.0001,
F2(1,285)=37.24, MSe =344.8, p<.0001 and lowercase
Fig. 1. Results from Experiment 1. Perceptual identification accuracy
is plotted as a function of word case (uppercase, lowercase, and
alternating-case) and hemisphere of direct test presentation (LH, left
hemisphere or RH, right hemisphere).
R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261 255
6. words (left=72.9%, right=46.9%), F1(1,177)=147.1,
MSe =138.3, p<.0001, F2(1,285)= 94.41, MSe =344.8,
p<.0001. A simple effect contrast also indicated a
left-hemisphere advantage for alternating-case words
(left=73.9%, right=68.4%), F1(1,177)=6.36, MSe =
138.31, p<.05, F2(1,285)=4.08, MSe =344.8, p<.05,
but this left-hemisphere advantage was significantly
smaller in size (5.4%) than the left-hemisphere advan-
tages observed for uppercase words (16.4%) and lower-
case words (26.0%), F1(1,118)=42.32, MSe =117.67,
p<.0001, F2(1,190)=29.88, MSe =266.73, p<.0001,
for the interaction contrasts.
The other significant effects were the following. Accu-
racy was higher when words were presented directly to
the left hemisphere (77.0%) than to the right hemisphere
(61.1%) in a main effect of hemisphere of direct word pre-
sentation, F1(1,59)=127.28, MSe =179.61, p<.0001,
F2(1,95)=152.58, MSe =239.72, p<.0001. Accuracy
differed for uppercase words (76.1%), alternating-case
words (71.1%), and lowercase words (59.9%), in a main
effect of word case, F1(2,118)=38.30, MSe =218.20,
p<.0001, F2(2,190)=27.67, MSe =483.29, p<.0001.
Accuracy was higher for the uppercase words (76.2%)
than for lowercase words (59.9%), according to simple ef-
fect contrasts, F1(1,118)=73.07, MSe =218.2, p<.0001,
F2(1,190)=52.79, MSe =483.29, p<.0001, which will
be discussed below.
2.3. Discussion
The main result from this perceptual identification
experiment was that the typical left-hemisphere advan-
tage in processing visual words was observed to be strong
for uppercase words and lowercase words, but was weak-
er for alternating-case words. A strong interaction effect
and an interaction contrast effect indicated that the left-
hemisphere advantages for processing uppercase and
lowercase words are greater than the left-hemisphere
advantage for processing alternating-case words. Unfor-
tunately, this result is somewhat equivocal for testing the
main question of this study, because the significant left-
hemisphere advantage in processing alternating-case
words supports one theory, but the finding that this
left-hemisphere advantage is significantly smaller than
those for uppercase and lowercase words supports the
alternative theory. For this reason, another tack was ta-
ken in Experiment 2 to investigate the main question.
In alternating-case words, the form as a whole is
unfamiliar, but the individual letters are still in a famil-
iar format. Stimuli that are unfamiliar at both the word
and letter levels may provide a stronger test of the
hypothesis that a left-hemisphere advantage will not be
observed for unfamiliar word form stimuli. Thus, for
Experiment 2, a new font was created. Ten individual
exemplars of each letter (lowercase and uppercase ver-
sions in five different fonts) were first size-normalized
into a common grid and then the overlap of the ten
exemplars was determined on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
The number of exemplars that overlapped in a particu-
lar pixel determined the gray level of that pixel. Thus,
by finding the degree of overlap of these exemplars over
all pixels in the grid, the central tendency, or prototype,
of each letter was obtained. These prototype letters were
used to form words that, like alternating-case words,
still retain the same phonological and semantic informa-
tion as normally presented words, but are visually unfa-
miliar at both the word and letter levels (see Fig. 2).
Because any ‘‘prototype font’’ word was based on ten
familiar exemplars, recognition was still possible even
though the words were presented in an entirely unfamil-
iar format.
3. Experiment 2
As in Experiment 1, participants perceptually identi-
fied visual words presented directly to the left or right
hemisphere (briefly in the left or right visual field). The
words were lowercase, uppercase, or prototype-font
words. The hypotheses were as follows. If the typical
left-hemisphere advantage in visual-word processing is
observed for uppercase and lowercase words, but not
for prototype-font words, the abstract/specific subsys-
tems theory would be supported. However, if the left-
hemisphere advantage is significant for all three stimulus
types, then the theory of a left-hemisphere lexicon would
be supported.
3.1. Method
3.1.1. Subjects
Sixty undergraduates (30 male and 30 female) at the
University of Minnesota participated for course extra
credit. All subjects were right-handed as measured by
the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Oldfield, 1971).
The average laterality quotient was 0.85.
3.1.2. Materials
The same words were used as in Experiment 1. The
words were presented in three manners: lowercase,
Fig. 2. Examples of the size and aspect-ratio normalized words used in
Experiment 2. The two columns show lowercase and uppercase
versions of the word ‘‘edge’’ in the five fonts used (Arial, Courier,
Helvetica, Times, and Verdana). These 10 exemplars were used to
create the prototype-font version depicted on the right.
256 R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261
7. uppercase, or in a prototype font. For all three formats,
individual letters were fit into a 24 by 24 matrix so that
the common pixel information could be determined.
This forced each letter to be on the same size and as-
pect-ratio scale, and it caused ascenders and descenders
to be presented in line with other letters. The prototype
font was composed of lowercase and uppercase letters in
five different fonts, Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Times, and
Verdana, which were the same (relatively frequently
encountered) fonts used in Experiment 1. Ten matrices
were created for each letter (uppercase and lowercase
in each of the five fonts). The common visual informa-
tion that five or more of these different matrices shared
was preserved and used to create a prototype version of
a letter. Pixels common to all ten matrices were printed
in black, and lighter grayscales were used for fewer
matches (down to five). Words in all three formats (low-
ercase, uppercase, and prototype font) were formed by
sequencing letters with a one-pixel space between each
letter. Examples of the three word formats are shown
in Fig. 2.
3.1.3. Procedure
The procedure was the same as in Experiment 1, with
the following exceptions. First, participants were told
that some of the words would appear slightly distorted.
Second, for lowercase and uppercase words, the presen-
tation time was 13ms, and for prototype-font words, the
presentation time was 183ms. The ratio of presentation
times, 13/183, was very similar to the ratio of the aver-
age number of pixels activated for lowercase/uppercase
words vs. prototype-font words. Also, a pilot study indi-
cated that accuracy rates for prototype-font words
would be relatively low when they were presented for
183ms, but the 183-ms presentation time was the longest
that could be used while assuring that attention-based
saccades could not be made to the targets before they
disappeared from the monitor.
3.2. Results
Responses were scored using the same strict criterion
used in Experiment 1. Identification accuracy levels for
uppercase, lowercase, and prototype-font words are
shown in Fig. 3.
Two repeated-measures analyses of variance were
conducted, one using participants as the random vari-
able (denoted F1 below) and the other using items as
the random variable (denoted F2 below). The dependent
variable for both analyses was percent accuracy of per-
ceptual identification. The by-subjects ANOVA exam-
ined two within-subject variables, hemisphere of direct
word presentation (left vs. right) and word format (low-
ercase vs. uppercase vs. prototype-font), and one be-
tween-subjects variable, font (Arial vs. Courier vs.
Helvetica vs. Times vs. Verdana). Gender was included
in an initial by-subjects analysis, but it did not exhibit
any significant effects and so was not included in the
analysis reported below. The by-items ANOVA exam-
ined only the two within-subjects variables.
The most important finding was a significant interac-
tion between hemisphere of direct word presentation
and word format, F1(2,110)=22.44, MSe =907.1,
p<.0001, F2(2,190)=15.52, MSe =195.2, p<.0001. Sim-
ple effect contrasts indicated a strong left-hemisphere
advantage for the uppercase words (left=82.9%,
right=73.3%), F1(1,220)=24.47, MSe =114.2, p<.001,
F2(1,285)=21.28, MSe =210.1, p<.0001 and lowercase
words (left=68.1%, right=55.6%), F1(1,220)=40.8,
MSe =114.2, p<.0001, F2(1,285)=34.06, MSe =210.1,
p<.0001, but no significant hemisphere difference for
prototype-font words (left=48.1%, right=51.1%),
F1(1,220)=2.37, MSe =114.2, p>.12, F2(1,285)=1.60,
MSe =210.1, p>.20. In fact, the numerical trend was
in the direction of a right-hemisphere advantage.
The other significant effects were the following. Accu-
racy was higher when words were presented directly to
the left hemisphere (66.5%) than to the right hemisphere
(59.9%) in a main effect of hemisphere of direct word
presentation, F1(1,55)=19.21, MSe =189.8, p<.0001,
F2(1,95)=24.66, MSe =239.8, p<.0001. Accuracy dif-
fered for uppercase words (78.1%), lowercase words
(61.8%), and prototype-font words (49.6%) in a main ef-
fect of word case, F1(2,110)=178.54, MSe =137.6,
p<.0001, F2(2,190)=29.26, MSe =1369.0, p<.0001.
Simple effect contrasts indicated that accuracy was
higher for the uppercase words (78.1%) than for lower-
case words (62.0%), F1(1,110)=115.23, MSe =137.6,
p<.0001, F2(1,190)=18.81, MSe =1369.0, p<.0001,
which will be discussed below. Finally, a significant
interaction was observed between word format and font,
F1(2,8)=4.64, MSe =137.6, p<.001. Simple effect con-
trasts indicated no difference in accuracy between upper-
case (62.7%) and lowercase (63.8%) words in the Courier
font, F1 <1, but differences between those conditions
with Arial font (84.1% vs. 60.2%), F1(1,165)=30.02,
Fig. 3. Results from Experiment 2. Perceptual identification accuracy
is plotted as a function of word format (uppercase, lowercase, or
prototype font) and hemisphere of direct test presentations (LH, left
hemisphere or RH, right hemisphere).
R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261 257
8. MSe =229.3, p<.001, Helvetica font (82.4% vs.
68.4%), F1(1,165)=10.34, MSe =229.3, p<.001, Times
font (78.6% vs. 60.6%), F1(1,165)=16.95, MSe =229.3,
p<.001, and Verdana font (82.0% vs. 57.3%), F1(1,
165)=30.70, MSe =229.3, p<.001. The Courier font is
the only one of the five fonts that is proportional (nor-
mally presented with all letters in the same size). Thus,
the results indicate that the lowercase and uppercase
versions of Courier font were identified equally well
when they are size normalized, but the lowercase and
uppercase versions of the other five fonts were identified
differently when size normalized. The effect was not pre-
dicted, and no explanation is readily apparent.
3.3. Discussion
The most important result from this experiment was
that the typical left-hemisphere advantage in processing
visual words was observed to be strong for uppercase
words and lowercase words, but was not observed for
prototype-font words (in fact, the numerical trend was
in the direction of a right-hemisphere advantage). Proto-
type-font words were visually unfamiliar, yet readable,
thus the finding supports the abstract/specific subsys-
tems theory to a greater degree than the left-hemisphere
lexicon theory.
4. General discussion
The goal of this study was to explore boundary con-
ditions for an important general finding in the neuropsy-
chology of reading. First, the results from Experiment 1
indicated that the typical left-hemisphere advantage in
visual-word processing was weak for alternating-case
words. More important, the results from Experiment 2
indicated an elimination (and numerical reversal) of
the ubiquitous left-hemisphere advantage in visual-word
processing when unfamiliar word forms were presented.
These findings support the prediction from the abstract/
specific subsystems theory that the left-hemisphere
advantage should be eliminated for visually distinctive
and unfamiliar stimuli.
It is worth noting that one aspect of the present re-
sults may seem puzzling at first. The lack of a left-hemi-
sphere advantage for processing prototype-font words
may seem to contradict the left-hemisphere advantage
observed previously for categorizing prototype stick
figures (Marsolek, 1995). Several differences between
studies may be important, such as (a) the use of pre-ex-
perimentally familiar vs. novel visual-form categories
(word forms vs. stick figures), (b) the amount of learning
or training of the relevant categories (years vs. less than
a half hour), and (c) a relatively small vs. relatively large
amount of visual information per prototype (prototype-
font words contained fewer pixels than their lowercase
or uppercase counterparts, whereas the prototype stick
figures contained about the same number of pixels as
the exemplars in their categories). Any of these differ-
ences, or some combination, may be responsible for
the different patterns of results. Perhaps the most impor-
tant point for present purposes is that the prototype-
font words used in the present experiment appeared
visually unfamiliar to participants (see Fig. 2). Indeed,
the prototype-font words were identified less accurately
than the lowercase or uppercase words (see Fig. 3). In
contrast, the prototype stick figures used by Marsolek
appeared visually familiar to the participants, as though
they were among the figures that were viewed during ini-
tial training. Indeed, in two of the three experiments, the
(previously unseen) stick-figure prototypes were catego-
rized more efficiently than the exemplars that had been
viewed during training.
A very interesting and initially unexpected finding in
both Experiments 1 and 2 was the greater perceptual
identification performance for uppercase words than
for lowercase words in both direct left- and right-hemi-
sphere presentations. Previous studies have demon-
strated the opposite effect—a lowercase advantage
over uppercase in visual-word processing. This lower-
case advantage has been observed in studies using cen-
tral presentations (Mayall & Humphreys, 1996) as well
as in studies using lateralized presentations (Jordan
et al., 2003; Lavidor & Ellis, 2001; Lavidor et al.,
2002). Why was an uppercase advantage observed in
the present study, but a lowercase advantage observed
in the previous studies?
An important difference may be that the previous
studies used the lexical decision task (Lavidor & Ellis,
2001; Lavidor et al., 2002; Mayall & Humphreys,
1996) or the Reicher–Wheeler task (Jordan et al.,
2003), and the present study used perceptual identifica-
tion. Given that lowercase words are more frequently
encountered in written text than uppercase words, the
kind of crude estimate of overall form familiarity
hypothesized to be assessed in a familiarity discrimina-
tion mechanism (Besner, 1983) should be higher for low-
ercase words than for uppercase words. This could
underlie the lowercase advantage observed in lexical
decision tasks. Conversely, because uppercase words
are less frequently encountered than lowercase words,
perceptual identification could be advantaged by upper-
case words if they are more visually distinctive than low-
ercase words.
Alternatively, other differences between lowercase
and uppercase words may be important. Visual shape
differences that are consistent between lowercase words
and uppercase words include that lowercase words tend
to (a) be smaller than uppercase words, (b) have more
curved parts than uppercase words, and (c) possess
shape information in ascenders and descenders that
is not shared with uppercase words, etc. Any of these
258 R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261
9. differences, or some combination, could play a role in
causing uppercase advantages when the task is percep-
tual identification and lowercase advantages when the
task is lexical decision.
The uppercase advantage in this study plays a role in
a characterization of the results from Experiment 1 that
emphasizes comparisons between the stimulus condi-
tions within each hemisphere presentation condition,
rather than comparisons between hemisphere presenta-
tion conditions within the stimulus conditions. We sug-
gest above that uppercase words were identified more
accurately than lowercase words overall because they
are less frequently encountered and hence more visually
distinctive. We also suggest above that words were iden-
tified more accurately when presented directly to the left
hemisphere than to the right overall because the nature
of the task was to identify the word and not the word-
form exemplar that was presented, which advantages
an abstract subsystem. This may explain the pattern of
results obtained in those four conditions (see Fig. 1).
In this context, one could account for the results from
alternating-case words in the following manner. With-
out additional factors, identification rates for alternat-
ing-case words may be expected to lie between those
for uppercase words and lowercase words, in both of
the hemisphere presentation conditions. However, when
words are presented directly to the left hemisphere, the
novelty of the overall word form in alternating-case
words may produce a cost in processing in an abstract
subsystem that reduces identification rates to the lower
level of lowercase words. And when words are presented
directly to the right hemisphere, the novelty of the over-
all word form in alternating-case words may produce a
benefit in processing in a specific subsystem that en-
hances identification rates to the higher level of upper-
case words.
As described in Section 1, in a neuroimaging study,
Polk and Farah (2002) found no significant activation
differences between pure-case and alternating-case
words in the left visual-word-form area. At first glance,
this may seem to contradict our observation in Experi-
ment 1 that uppercase words were identified more accu-
rately than alternating-case and lowercase words when
presented directly to the left hemisphere. However,
using a blocked design, Polk and Farah presented both
uppercase and lowercase words in the same ‘‘pure-case’’
scanning blocks, thus they were not able to separate
activation from processing uppercase vs. lowercase
words and compare each against processing of alternat-
ing-case words. In fact, we analyzed our results with
Helvetica font words (most comparable to the Geneva
font words used by Polk and Farah) from Experiment
1 in a similar way, by combining results from uppercase
and lowercase trials to produce a pure-case condition
and comparing them against results from the alternat-
ing-case condition. No significant difference (p>.30)
was found between identification of pure-case and iden-
tification of alternating-case words presented directly to
the left hemisphere in this analysis.
In Experiment 2, we generated prototype-font words
to serve as very unfamiliar, yet recognizable, visual-
word forms. This stimulus manipulation may have in-
volved a manipulation of the spatial frequency content
of the stimuli in addition to a manipulation of the famil-
iarity, because the prototype-font words are similar to
what would be produced by a low-pass blurring of the
pure-case stimuli (see Fig. 2). This is interesting because
right-hemisphere advantages have been observed for
identification and discrimination of low spatial-fre-
quency information (e.g., Christman, Kitterle, & Hellige,
1991; Kitterle, Christman, & Hellige, 1990; Kitterle &
Selig, 1991). It is also consistent with our theory. Our
theory is that a specific subsystem in the right hemisphere
processes whole-based information effectively in order to
accomplish specific exemplar recognition. We have
hypothesized that the whole-based nature of the process-
ing in this subsystem (accomplished through relatively
distributed representations) is what is responsible both
for processing unfamiliar forms effectively (the novelty
of an unfamiliar form is in its whole-based structure,
not in its parts) and for processing low spatial-frequency
information effectively (low spatial-frequency informa-
tion can be reflected effectively by integrated whole rep-
resentations that do not have independent part
representations; see Marsolek & Burgund, 1997).
On a related point, one aspect of the present results
suggests that the unfamiliarity of the prototype-font
words may be more important than the low spatial-fre-
quency content of those words in predicting the numer-
ical right-hemisphere advantage observed in Experiment
2. An important piece of evidence supporting right-
hemisphere advantages in processing low spatial-
frequency information is that increases in stimulus
exposure duration selectively benefits processing follow-
ing left hemisphere presentations (see Christman, 1989).
However, in Experiment 2, to attempt to equalize levels
of performance for different stimuli, prototype-font
words were exposed for longer durations than pure-case
words, and yet a reversal of the typical left-hemisphere
advantage in visual-word recognition was observed for
the prototype-font words.
In closing, it is worth noting that a relatively simple
explanation for the left-hemisphere advantage in visu-
al-word processing relates to the importance of initial
letters to word recognition. Words presented in the right
visual field have the initial letters appear closer to the
central fixation point than words presented in the left vi-
sual field, which could result in greater visual acuity for
the important initial letters and hence a left-hemisphere
advantage. Thus, another important aspect of the pres-
ent results is that the ubiquitous left-hemisphere advan-
tage was eliminated or reversed even with standard
R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261 259
10. horizontal presentations, apparently because the word
forms were unfamiliar. Other researchers have used ver-
tical presentations of words in divided-visual-field exper-
iments to avoid the problem of differential acuity for
parts of words. However, given that the vast majority
of reading experiences in everyday life involves horizon-
tal words, the word form representations of interest in
the present study are carved and maintained by process-
ing horizontal words. We would argue that experiments
with vertical presentations do not measure the processes
that normally occur in word recognition (and instead
likely reflect less typical sequential or letter-by-letter
reading processing) as effectively as experiments with
horizontal presentations.
In sum, the ubiquitous left-hemisphere advantage in
processing visual words has a limit, one that appears
to involve the familiarity of the visual forms that are
processed. Further exploration of this kind of boundary
condition should help to uncover important aspects of
the neuropsychology of word recognition and reading.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported in part by the Center for
Cognitive Sciences, University of Minnesota, and the
National Institute of Health and Human Development
(HD-07151). We sincerely thank Marivelisse Rodriguez,
Craig Roelke, and Charla Weiss for valuable assistance
with data collection and analysis. Portions of this report
will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive
Neuroscience Society, San Francisco (2004).
References
Arguin, M., Bub, D., & Bowers, J. (1998). Extent and limits of covert
lexical activation in letter-by-letter reading. Cognitive Neuropsy-
chology, 15, 53–91.
Babkoff, H., Faust, M., & Lavidor, M. (1997). Lexical decision,
visual hemifield and angle of orientation. Neuropsychologia, 35,
487–495.
Beaumont, J. G. (1982). Studies with verbal stimuli. In J. G. Beaumont
(Ed.), Divided visual field studies of cerebral organization
(pp. 57–86). New York: Academic Press.
Beauregard, M., Chertkow, H., Bub, D., Murtha, S., Dixon, R., &
Evans, A. (1997). The neural substrate for concrete, abstract, and
emotional word lexica: A positron emission tomography study.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 9, 441–461.
Besner, D. (1983). Basic decoding components in reading: Two
dissociable feature extraction processes. Canadian Journal of
Psychology, 37, 429–438.
Beversdorf, D. Q., Ratcliffe, N. R., Rhodes, C. H., & Reeves, A. G.
(1997). Pure alexia: Clinical-pathologic evidence for a lateralized
visual language association cortex. Clinical Neuropathology, 16,
328–331.
Boles, D. B., & Clifford, J. E. (1989). An upper- and lowercase
alphabetic similarity matrix, with derived generation similarity
values. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers,
21, 579–586.
Bowers, J. S. (1996). Different perceptual codes support priming for
words and pseudowords: Was Morton right all along? Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 22,
1336–1353.
Bradshaw, J. L., & Nettleton, N. C. (1983). Human cerebral asymme-
try. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Bryden, M. P., & Allard, F. (1976). Visual hemifield differences depend
on typeface. Brain and Language, 3, 191–200.
Bub, D. N., & Lewine, J. (1988). Different modes of word recognition
in the left and the right visual fields. Brain and Language, 33,
161–188.
Burgund, E. D., & Marsolek, C. J. (1997). Letter-case specific
priming in the right cerebral hemisphere with a form-specific
perceptual identification task. Brain and Cognition, 35,
239–258.
Carr, T. H., & Pollatsek, A. (1985). Recognizing printed words: A look
at current models. In D. Besner, T. G. Waller, & G. E. MacKinnon
(Eds.). Reading research: Advances in theory and practice (Vol. 5,
pp. 1–82). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Chiarello, C. (1985). Hemisphere dynamics in lexical access:
Automatic and controlled priming. Brain and Language, 26,
146–172.
Chiarello, C. (1988). Lateralization of lexical processes in the normal
brain: A review of visual half-field research. In H. A. Whitaker
(Ed.), Contemporary reviews in neuropsychology (pp. 36–76). New
York: Springer-Verlag.
Chiarello, C., Liu, S., & Shears, C. (2001). Does global context
modulate cerebral asymmetries? A review and new evidence on
word imageability effects. Brain and Language, 79, 360–378.
Christman, S. (1989). Perceptual characteristics in visual laterality
research. Brain and Cognition, 11, 238–257.
Christman, S., Kitterle, F. L., & Hellige, J. B. (1991). Hemispheric
asymmetry in the processing of absolute versus relative spatial
frequency. Brain and Cognition, 16, 62–73.
Damasio, A. R., & Damasio, H. (1983). The anatomic basis of pure
alexia. Neurology, 33, 1573–1583.
Ellis, A. W., Young, A. W., & Anderson, C. (1988). Modes of visual
word recognition in the left and right cerebral hemispheres. Brain
and Language, 35, 254–273.
Eviatar, Z., Menn, L., & Zaidel, E. (1990). Concreteness: Nouns,
verbs, and hemispheres. Cortex, 26, 611–624.
Fiset, S., & Arguin, M. (1999). Case alternation and orthographic
neighborhood size effects in the left and right cerebral hemispheres.
Brain and Cognition, 40, 116–118.
Francis, W. N., & Kucera, H. (1982). Frequency analysis of English
usage: Lexicon and grammar. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Gross, C. G., Rocha-Miranda, C. E., & Bender, D. B. (1972). Visual
properties of neurons in inferotemporal cortex of the macaque.
Journal of Neurophysiology, 35, 96–111.
Hines, D. (1978). Visual information processing in the left and right
hemispheres. Neuropsychologia, 16, 593–600.
Jordan, T. R., Redwood, M., & Patching, G. R. (2003). Effects of form
familiarity on perception of words, pseudowords, and nonwords in
the two cerebral hemispheres. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience,
15, 537–548.
Kitterle, F. L., Christman, S., & Hellige, J. B. (1990). Hemispheric
differences are found in the identification, but not the detection, of
low versus high spatial frequencies. Perception & Psychophysics, 48,
297–306.
Kitterle, F. L., & Selig, L. M. (1991). Visual field effects in the
discrimination of sine-wave gratings. Perception & Psychophysics,
50, 15–18.
Koenig, O., Wetzel, C., & Caramazza, A. (1992). Evidence for different
types of lexical representations in the cerebral hemispheres.
Cognitive Neuropsychology, 9, 33–45.
260 R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261
11. Krueger, L. E. (1975). The word-superiority effect: Is its locus visual-
spatial or verbal? Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 6(5),
465–468.
Lambert, A. J., & Beaumont, J. G. (1983). Imageability does not
interact with visual field in lateral word recognition with oral
report. Brain and Language, 20, 115–142.
Lavidor, M., & Ellis, A. W. (2001). MiXeD case effects in lateralized
word recognition. Brain and Cognition, 46, 192–195.
Lavidor, M., Ellis, A. W., & Pansky, A. (2002). Case alternation and
length effects in lateralized word recognition: Studies of English
and Hebrew. Brain and Cognition, 50, 257–271.
Leiber, L. (1976). Lexical decisions in the left and right cerebral
hemispheres. Brain and Language, 3, 443–450.
Liu, S., Chiarello, C., & Quan, N. (1999). Hemispheric sensitivity to
grammatical cues: Evidence for bilateral processing of number
agreement in noun phrases. Brain and Language, 70, 421–436.
Marsolek, C. J. (1995). Abstract-visual-form representation in the left
cerebral hemisphere. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human
Perception and Performance, 21, 375–386.
Marsolek, C. J. (1999). Dissociable neural subsystems underlie abstract
and specific object recognition. Psychological Science, 10, 111–118.
Marsolek, C. J. (2004). Abstractionist versus exemplar-based theories of
visual word priming: A subsystems resolution. The Quarterly Journal
of Experimental Psychology (Section A), 57A(7), 1233–1259.
Marsolek, C. J., & Burgund, E. D. (1997). Computational analyses and
hemispheric asymmetries in visual-form recognition. In S. Christ-
man (Ed.), Cerebral asymmetries in sensory and perceptual process-
ing (pp. 125–158). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Marsolek, C. J., Kosslyn, S. M., & Squire, L. R. (1992). Form-specific
visual priming in the right cerebral hemisphere. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 18,
492–508.
Marsolek, C. J., Schacter, D. L., & Nicholas, C. D. (1996). Form-
specific visual priming for new associations in the right cerebral
hemisphere. Memory & Cognition, 24, 539–556.
Mayall, K., & Humphreys, G. W. (1996). Case mixing and the task-
sensitive disruption of lexical processing. Journal of Experimental
Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 22, 278–294.
Miozzo, M., & Caramazza, A. (1998). Varieties of pure alexia: The
case of failure to access graphemic representations. Cognitive
Neuropsychology, 15, 203–238.
Oldfield, R. C. (1971). The assessment and analysis of handedness: The
Edinburgh Inventory. Neuropsychologia, 9, 97–113.
Polk, T. A., & Farah, M. J. (2002). Functional MRI evidence for an
abstract, not perceptual word-form area. Journal of Experimental
Psychology: General, 131, 65–72.
Petersen, S. E., Fox, P. T., Snyder, A. Z., & Raichle, M. E. (1990).
Activation of extrastriate and frontal cortical areas by visual words
and word-like stimuli. Science, 249, 1041–1044.
Reicher, G. M. (1969). Perceptual recognition as a function of
meaningfulness of stimulus material. Journal of Experimental
Psychology, 28, 115–121.
Reuter-Lorenz, P. A., & Baynes, K. (1992). Modes of lexical access in
the callosotomized brain. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 4,
155–164.
Schmuller, J., & Goodman, R. (1979). Bilateral tachistoscopic
perception, handedness, and laterality. Brain and Language, 8,
81–91.
Tootell, R. B. H., Mendola, J. D., Hadjikhani, N. K., Liu, A. K., &
Dale, A. M. (1998). The representation of the ipsilateral visual field
in human cerebral cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences United States of America, 95, 818–824.
Wheeler, D. D. (1970). Processes in word recognition. Cognitive
Psychology, 1, 59–85.
Young, A. W., Ellis, A. W., & Bion, P. J. (1984). Left hemisphere
superiority for pronounceable nonwords, but not for unpronounce-
able letter strings. Brain and Language, 22, 14–25.
Young, A. W., & Ellis, A. W. (1985). Different methods of lexical
access for words presented in the left and right visual field. Brain
and Language, 24, 326–358.
R.G. Deason, C.J. Marsolek / Brain and Language 92 (2005) 251–261 261