The effects of independently validated strategies on visual hemifield asymmetry

The study described here employed a sentence-picture verification task in order to examine the effects of different information-processing strategies on hemisphere performance of this task. The original task was slightly modified to allow brief presentation of the picture stimulus to either the left or right visual field. A simple strategies model of hemisphere function would predict an RVF advantage when using a linguistic strategy and an LVF advantage when using a pictorial strategy. Experiment 1 included no explicit instructions on which strategy to employ, thus allowing subjects to use their naturally preferred strategy whilst Expt 2 used explicit instructions to induce the appropriate strategies in two separate experimental blocks. Examination of the data for both experiments strongly supports the claim that the strategies were successfully induced, but in neither case was any clear-cut support for the strategies model of hemisphere function obtained.