Hemispheric Asymmetry: What's Right and What's Left
Is "right-brain" thought essentially creative, and "left-brain" strictly logical? Joseph B. Hellige argues that this view is far too simplistic. Surveying extensive data in the field of cognitive science, he disentangles scientific facts from popular assumptions about the brain's two hemispheres.In Hemispheric Asymmetry, Hellige explains that the "right brain" and "left brain" are actually components of a much larger cognitive system encompassing cortical and subcortical structures, all of which interact to produce unity of thought and action. He further explores questions of whether hemispheric asymmetry is unique to humans, and how it might have evolved. This book is a valuable overview of hemispheric asymmetry and its evolutionary precedents. 1. Introduction -- 2. Behavioral Asymmetries in Humans -- 3. Hemispheric Asymmetry and Components of Perception, Cognition, and Action -- 4. Biological Asymmetries in the Human Brain -- 5. Behavioral and Brain Asymmetries in Nonhuman Species -- 6. Varieties of Interhemispheric Interaction -- 7. Individual Differences -- 8. Hemispheric Asymmetry across the Life Span -- 9. The Evolution of Hemispheric Asymmetry -- 10. Epilogue
Joseph B. Helligeill. ; 24 cm
