Skip to main content

Script Directionality Affects Nonlinguistic Performance: Evidence From Hindi and Urdu

  • Chapter
Scripts and Literacy

Part of the book series: Neuropsychology and Cognition ((NPCO,volume 7))

Abstract

All writing systems are written in a specific linear order; some are written from top to bottom, others from left to right, and still others are written from right to left. Because of this fact about written language, users of scripts with different directionalities acquire differential directional scanning biases arising from their reading/writing experience (van Sommers, 1991). The influence of directional scanning tendencies has been amply documented in studies of verbal memory and perception comparing readers of left-toright versus right-to-left scripts (Nachshon, 1985 for a review).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Belin, C., Pionner, V., Perrier, D., and Larmande, P.: 1988, ‘Tachistoscopic recognition of words in a right-to-left language: Arabic’Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertelson, P.: 1972, ‘Listening from left to right versus right to left’Perception1: 161–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Best, C.: 1987, ‘Asymmetries in perception and production of infant emotional expressions in chimeric presentation’Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, R.: 1978, ‘Asymmetries in interpreting and expressing a posed facial expres-sion’Cortex 16:473–481.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, M.: 1981, ‘Directional scanning of visual displays’Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology13(3): 252–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coulter, L.: 1982 (March)Brain lateralization for reading in Arabic-English bilinguals.Paper presented at annual meeting of the Body for the Advancement of Brain, Behavior and Language Enterprises, Niagara Falls.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dennis, W.: 1958, ‘Handwriting conventions as determinants of human figure drawing’Journal of Consulting Psychology22(4): 293–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dennis, W. and Raskin, E.: 1960, ‘Further evidence concerning the effect of handwriting habits upon the location of drawings’Journal of Consulting Psychology24(6): 548–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dreman, S.: 1974, ‘Directionality trends as a function of handedness and of reading and writing habits’American Journal of Psychology87(1–2): 274–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dreman, S.: 1977, ‘A review of directionality trends in the horizontal dimension as a function of innate and environmental factors’The Journal of General Psychology96: 125–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freimuth, M. and Wapner, S.: 1979, ‘The influence of lateral organization on the evaluation of paintings’British Journal of Psychology70: 211–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, M. and Bakan, P.: 1973, ‘Visual asymmetry in perception of faces’Neuropsychologia11:355–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harsel, Y. and Wales, R.: 1987, ‘Directional preference in problem solving’International Journal of Psychology22: 195–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heller, W. and Levy, J.: 1981, ‘Perception and expression of emotion in right-handers and left-handers’Neuropsychologia19(2): 267–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hellige, J., Bloch, M., and Taylor, A.: 1988, ‘Multi-task investigation of individual differences in hemispheric asymmetry’Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance14(2): 176–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaeger, J., Borod, J., and Peselow, E.: 1987, ‘Depressed patients have atypical hemispace biases in the perception of emotional chimeric faces’Journal of Abnormal Psychology96(4): 321–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, B.: 1952, ‘Left-right orientation in profile drawing’American Journal of Psychology65: 80–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelkar, A.: 1968Studies in Hindi-Urdu I: Introduction and Word PhonologyDeccan College, Poona.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levine, S. and Levy, J.: 1986, ‘Perceptual asymmetry for chimeric faces across the lifespan’Brain and Cognition5: 291–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levy, J.: 1976, ‘Lateral dominance and aesthetic preference’Neuropsychologia14: 431–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levy, J., Heller, W., Banich, M., and Burton, L.: 1983, ‘Asymmetry of perception in free viewing of chimeric faces’Brain and Cognition2: 404–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nachshon, I.: 1985, ‘Directional preferences in perception of visual stimuli’International Journal of Behavioral Neuroscience25: 161–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nachshon, I. and Alek, M.: 1981, ‘The development of directional preferences: Cross-cultural differences’Psychologia24: 86–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nachshon, I., Shefler, G., and Samocha, D.: 1977, ‘Directional scanning as a function of stimulus characteristics, reading habits, and directional set’Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology8: 83–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Narang, G. C.: 1986, ‘Development and use of writing system across culture: The case of Arabic-Persian Urdu orthographical model’Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies10(2): 64–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Narula, S. S.: 1955Scientific History of the Hindi LanguageHindi Academy, New Delhi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rai, Amrit: 1991, AHouse Divided: The Origin and Development of Hindi-UrduOxford University Press, New Delhi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh, M., Vaid, J., and Sakhuja, T.: 1987Directional scanning and handedness: Influence on the direction and orientation of free-hand drawingpresented at annual meeting of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Synder, T., Grackenbach, J., and Branford, C.: 1983Directional drawing preferences of the right and left hands of right-and left-handerspaper presented at the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sommers, P. van: 1984Drawing and Cognition: Descriptive and Experimental Studies of Graphic Production ProcessesCambridge University Press, New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sommers, P. van: 1991, ‘Where writing starts: The analysis of action applied to the historical development of writing’, in J. Wann, A. Wing, and N. Sovik (eds.)Development of Graphic Skills: Research Perspectives and Educational ImplicationsAcademic Press, London, pp. 1–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tramer, O, Butler, B., and Mewhort, D.: 1985, ‘Evidence for scanning with unilateral presentation of letters’Brain and Language 25: 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaid, J.: 1988, ‘Asymmetries in tachistoscopic word recognition: Scanning effects re-examined’International Journal of Neuroscience42(1): 253–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaid, J. and Singh, M.: 1987Reading habits influence asymmetries in nonlinguistic perception and productionpresented at tenth annual meeting of the Body for the Advancement of brain, Behavior and Language Enterprises, Niagara Falls.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaid, J. and Singh, M.: 1989, ‘Asymmetries in the perception of facial affect: Is there an influence of reading habits?’Neuropsychologia27(10): 1277–1287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaid, J. and Singh, M.: 1991Linguistic scanning biases can affect performance on non-linguistic neuropsychological taskspresented at annual meeting of National Academy of Neuropsychology, Dallas.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Vaid, J. (1995). Script Directionality Affects Nonlinguistic Performance: Evidence From Hindi and Urdu. In: Taylor, I., Olson, D.R. (eds) Scripts and Literacy. Neuropsychology and Cognition, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1162-1_19

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1162-1_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4506-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1162-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics