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<DIV>Ross, there is some confusion between <U>hemisphere specialization</U> (which no one familiar with neuroscience can reasonably argue) and the <STRONG>strong hemisphericity thesis</STRONG> which says that a particular cerebral hemisphere is neccessary and sufficient for a set of important higher level cognitive functions or properties such as reasoning, creativity, intelligence, suggestibility, and so on. </DIV>
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<DIV>Roger Sperry's remarkable observations on hemisphere specialization led to not only advances in neuroscience and deep insights into the higher cognitive functions but also a predictable glut of speculations about how some cultures or subcultures were only using half of their brain, how the right brain was the unique source of creativity and wisdom and how "drawing on the right side of the brain" was the secret missing element to Western education. These things were based on a radical version of the strong hemisphericity hypothesis that has indeed been widely rejected for good reason. I think that's what Lynn was referring to, and is definitely what I was referring to. </DIV>
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<DIV>It took years for educators to come to grips with the fact that hemisphere specialization didn't neccessarily mean that they should be replacing academic pedagogy wholesale with Zen koans in order to activate the "creative hemisphere." Of course like most misleading ideas it wasn't entirely wrong. The hemispheres are indeed specialized, however they are not individually neccessary and sufficient for particular higher cognitive functions, they are used together for anything resembling normal thinking and behavior, and education crosses their specializations. The specialization is still of great theoretical interest as well, I think.</DIV>
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<DIV>kind regards,</DIV>
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<DIV>Todd</DIV>
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<DIV>In a message dated 4/25/2005 11:28:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time, ross.buck@uconn.edu writes:</DIV>
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<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Who has discounted right brain/left brain differences, and on what evidence? Anyone with experience with aphasia knows that right brain/left brain differences are powerful: language is organized in the left hemisphere in over 90% of humans (right or left handedness makes little difference: people are right or left footed and eyed as well). And there is considerable evidence that the right hemisphere is associated with emotional expressiveness (facial expression and vocal prosody) as well as spatial abilities. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Ross</SPAN></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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