Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention
Published on: November 16, 2017
Remembering 1500 pictures: the right hemisphere remembers better than the left
Bruno Laeng1, Morten Øvervoll, Oddmar Ole Steinsvik
1Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø N-9037 Tromsø, Norway. bruno@psyk.uit.no
Abstract:
We hypothesized that the right hemisphere would be superior to the left hemisphere in remembering having seen a specific picture before, given its superiority in perceptually encoding specific aspects of visual form. A large set of pictures (N=1500) of animals, human faces, artifacts, landscapes, and art paintings were shown for 2s in central vision, or tachistoscopically (for 100ms) in each half visual field, to normal participants who were then tested 1-6 days later for their recognition. Images that were presented initially to the right hemisphere were better recognized than those presented to the left hemisphere. These results, obtained with participants with intact brains, large number of stimuli, and long retention delays, are consistent with previously described hemispheric differences in the memory of split-brain patients.
Related Concept Videos
Lateralization
Cerebral Hemispheres
Role of Hippocampus in Memory
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory
Eyewitness Memory
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...
Lobes of the Cerebrum
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are the command center of our brain, controlling personality, intelligence, and voluntary muscle movements.

