A pronounced cognitive style improves interhemispheric integration: by hemispheric differentiation or by hemispheric...

Under conditions of tachistoscopic stimulation normal subjects were presented visuospatial stimulus pairs which had to be integrated interhemispherically. The presence of a pronounced cognitive style improves the interhemispheric integration of this type of information. Two interpretations are discussed. The first explains the observed improvement with a qualitative division of labour, with one highly specialized and one just transmitting hemisphere, i.e., with hemispheric differentiation. The second emphasizes the relatively high capacity of the "subordinate" hemisphere in information processing, i.e., hemispheric similarity.