Hemispheric lateralization, as discovered by Roger W. Sperry (1965), ascribes to the specialization of one cerebral hemisphere or the other in controlling specific functions (Passer, Smith, Holt, Bremner, Sutherland & Vliek, 2009).
In recent years, there appears to be a growing phenomenon in the generalization of hemispheric lateralization as concepts of being left-brained or right-brained (Hampson, 1994).
Left-brained individuals are commonly stereotyped to be systematic and logical while their right-brained counterparts are believed to be artistically inclined. (King, 2008)
Certainly, the notion of localized function in the human brain can be substantiated by the knowledge of the Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area. Both areas are localized in the left hemisphere thus severe damage in the left cerebral hemisphere could cause a loss in ability of speech production and comprehension, known as Broca’s and Wernicke’s aphasia (Boeree, 2004).
In addition, Roger W. Sperry’s split-brain studies demonstrated the ability of the cerebral hemispheres to function independently despite absence of communication between them after severing the corpus callosum in epileptic patients (Horowitz, 1997).
The Term Paper on Myers 1995 Left Hemisphere Brain
... asWernicke's area. Although damage to the left hemisphere is more likely to cause language disturbance than is damage to the right hemisphere, if left brain ... decades have witnessed a period of research on the human cerebral functions comparable to the great era of discovery initiated by ... new work has been devoted to the study of cerebral functions in adults, but recently there has been a growing ...
Unfortunately, misconceptions of these findings as led to the pervasive belief that each cerebral hemisphere functions in isolation, thus attributes such as creativity can be localized in a section of the human brain. (Jung, Segall, Bockholt, Flores, Smith, Chavez & Haier, 2009)
It is scientifically illegitimate to typecast individuals as left brained or right brained as research has demonstrated the complementary nature of both hemispheres in performing a multitude of functions, such as language processing, which is typically believed to be an activity dominated by the left hemisphere. (Pizzagalli, Regard & Lehmann, 1999).
Functional imaging studies involving a split visual field experiment on semantic processing, revealed activities in both hemispheres and in fact, greater activity in the right hemisphere in processing random scrambles of letters. (Taylor & Regard, 2003).
Research has established a positive correlation between creativity and activities in left-hemisphere in the performance of tasks that did not require creativity. Experiments involving split-visual-field spatial tasks found a negative correlation between creativity and right hemispheric activation while dichotic-listening melody recognition tasks failed to demonstrate any positive correlation with creativity (Sternberg, 1999).
In addition, further studies have shown the integration of both left and right hemisphere activity is imperative in creativity, emphasizing the interdependence of both hemispheres even further. (Kaufman & Baer, 2006) As such, the association between creativity and hemisphere dominance appears to be inconsistent across the board. Consequentially, these findings render the prevalent belief that right-brained individuals tend to be more creative, scientifically unsound.
The notion of left-brained and right-brained assumes the dominance of hemispheres in the performance of tasks is dependent on the personality, strengths and preferences of the person is a fallacy. (Corballis, 2007) The dominance of a hemisphere is determined by the task a person engages in. Research has shown tasks involving audio-spatial attention have a right hemisphere advantage. The same experiments also established that responses to the auditory selective attention task were the best when both the cerebral hemispheres were engaged in activity. Once more, this implies the complementary nature of both hemispheres of the brain. (Petit, Simon, Joliot, Andersson, Bertin, Zago, Mellet & Tzourio-Mazoyer, 2007)
Do Schools Kill Creativity?
When we were children, the world around us was derived by curiosity and exploration. By learning, we found satisfaction in our desires that no other activity could fulfill. Our imaginations were the basis of our childhood, allowing us to play, do schoolwork, build friendships, learn to do tasks, solve problems and eventually allowed us to see things from different perspectives. Now, as functioning ...
In conclusion, an absence of sound scientific evidence in the categorization of people to be either left-brained or right brained is due to the complementary nature of hemispheres in the performance of tasks. Furthermore, the poor association with creativity and activity in right hemisphere implies that right-brained individuals are not necessarily creative. Lastly, the type of tasks, rather than an attribute, is critical in the determination of brain dominance. Hence, it is scientifically illegitimate to categorize people as left-brained or right-brained.
References
Passer M., Smith R., Holt N., Bremner A., Sutherland E. & Vliek M. (2009) Hemispheric Lateralization: The Left and Right Brains. Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, 150.
Hampson E. (1994) Left Brain, Right Brain: Fact and Fiction Retrieved September 15, 2011, from: http://www.societyforqualityeducation.org/newsletter/archives/left.pdf. King L. A. (2008).
The Cerebral Hemispheres and Split Brain Research. The Science of Psychology: An Appreciative View 2nd Edition, 80-83. Boeree C. G. (2004) Speech and the Brain. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/speechbrain.html. Horwowitz N. H. (1997).
Roger Wolcott Sperry. Nobelprize.org. Retrieved September 15, 2011, from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/1981/sperry-article.html. Jung R. E., Segall J. M., Bockholt H. J., Flores R. A., Smith S. M., Chavez R. S. & Haier R. J. (2009).
Neuroanatomy of Creativity. Human Brain Mapping, 31, 400 doi: 10.1002/hbm.20874
Pizzagalli D., Regard M. & Lehmann D. (1999) Rapid Emotional Face Processing In The Human Right and Left Brain Hemispheres: An ERP Study. NeuroReport, 10, 2691-2698.
Taylor K. I. & Regard M. (2003) Language in the Right Cerebral Hemisphere: Contributions from Reading Studies. News Physiological Sciences, 18, 258-260.
Sternberg R. J. (1999) Creativity and Hemispheric Asymmetry. Handbook of Creativity, 145-147. Corballis M. C. (2007) The Dual-Brain Myth. Tall Tales About The Mind And Brain: Separating Fact From Fiction, 291-313 Petit L., Simon G., Joliot M., Andersson F., Bertin T., Zago L., Mellet E. & Tzourio-Mazoyer N. (2007) Right Hemisphere Dominance For Auditory Attention And Its Modulation By Eye Position: An Event Related fMRI Study. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 25, 211-255
The Essay on The Brain Left vs Right
The brain is a continually researched part of the human anatomy. With advances in technology, medicine and psychology it has been continually researched. The current science we have now reveals many things about the brain, such as there are two hemispheres in the brain, the left side and the right side. How much truth is there behind certain hemispheres impacting learning differently? In this ...
