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Hemispheric specialization for ASL signs and English words: differences between imageable and abstract forms
Neuropsychologia
|July 1, 1993
Summary
This study investigated brain processing of American Sign Language (ASL) and English. Deaf ASL signers and hearing English speakers showed left hemisphere advantages for abstract words, but ASL signers uniquely favored the right hemisphere for imageable signs.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
- Psychology
Background:
- The human brain exhibits hemispheric specialization for linguistic and spatial processing.
- Understanding the neural basis of sign language is crucial for comprehending language representation in the brain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the lateralization of American Sign Language (ASL) processing in deaf signers.
- To compare ASL processing laterality with that of spoken English processing in hearing individuals.
Main Methods:
- Deaf ASL signers performed lexical decision tasks with ASL signs presented to each visual half-field.
- Hearing English speakers performed lexical decision tasks with English words presented to each visual half-field.
Main Results:
- Both deaf ASL signers and hearing English speakers demonstrated a left hemisphere advantage for processing abstract lexical items.
- Deaf ASL signers showed a significant right hemisphere advantage for imageable signs.
- Hearing English speakers did not exhibit a visual field effect for imageable words.
Conclusions:
- Brain laterality for language processing differs between ASL and English.
- The distinct laterality patterns may stem from the differing roles of imagery in visual-gestural versus spoken languages.