Hemispheric dominance for intentional and automatic processes? A test of the Luria and Simernitskaya hypothesis

Luria and Simernitskaya ( Neuropsychologia 15, 175-178, 1977) proposed a functional division between the cerebral hemispheres in terms of automatic vs volitional operations. The present study of two types of memory in brain-damaged patients did not support the hypothesis. The results were consistent with the well-established theory of material-specific deficits following unilateral lesions.