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The relationship between behavioral language laterality, face laterality and language performance in left-handers.
Lise Van der Haegen1, Marc Brysbaert1
1Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Plos One
|December 22, 2018
Summary
Left-handers show varied brain dominance, but language task laterality doesn't link to other cognitive functions. Test-retest reliability issues may affect individual laterality classifications.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Behavior
Background:
- Left-handers exhibit greater variability in brain hemispheric dominance, offering unique insights into cognitive function relationships.
- Understanding brain lateralization in left-handers is crucial for cognitive neuroscience research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the laterality distribution, inter-task correlations, and test-retest reliability of various cognitive tasks in left-handers.
- To explore the relationship between language lateralization and other cognitive functions like face recognition and handedness.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a behavioral test battery assessing speech production, reading, speech perception, face recognition, and handedness in 98 left-handers.
- Analyzed laterality indices for reaction time and accuracy across tasks.
- Evaluated test-retest reliability for individual tasks.
Main Results:
- Behavioral testing yielded (a)typical dominance percentages comparable to neuropsychological studies, though atypical lateralization incidence might be overestimated.
- Significant correlations were observed between language tasks' lateralization indices.
- Language laterality did not correlate with face laterality, handedness, or overall language performance.
- Individual classification across tasks showed lower consistency than expected, potentially due to variable test-retest reliability.
Conclusions:
- While behavioral tests can identify patterns of brain dominance in left-handers, individual-level analysis is hindered by inconsistent reliability, particularly for non-speech tasks.
- Further development of reliable and valid protocols for non-speech cognitive functions is needed for robust laterality research.
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