Babies, bath water, and the chicken's way out

Bryden, McManus, and Bulman-Fleming (1994) have provided a thoughtful critique of the developmental model of cerebral lateralization proposed by Geschwind, Behan, and Galaburda. Although it is clear that many particular aspects of the Geschwind-Behan-Galaburda (GBG) model have not withstood empirical test, the GBG model has had an important and useful impact by encouraging others to conceptualize cerebral laterality in an appropriately developmental way. Consequently, although the present commentary reinforces some of the criticisms leveled by Bryden et al., it also points out why it would be unwise to throw out the baby (i.e., a developmental perspective) with the bath water (i.e., particular details of the GBG model).