Hemisphericity

Definition

Hemisphericity refers to a theoretical and controversial construct suggesting that some individuals have an innate superiority or habitual propensity for processing information with one or the other cerebral hemisphere, more or less independent of situational demands. This notion is predicated on the assumptions that (1) the two hemispheres differ in their ability to process certain types of information (e.g., verbal for the left, and emotional and visual-spatial for the right), and (2) the two hemispheres process information in fundamentally different ways. Thus, the left hemisphere is thought to operate in a more analytical, logical, sequential manner, while the right hemisphere is seen as functioning in a more wholistic, intuitive, simultaneous manner. At the core of the controversy is whether individuals can be classified on an a priori basis as being either predominantly “right-brained” or “left-brained” and whether this has broader implications for their personality,...