10.1: Introduction

A common misconception among non-scientists, popularized by the media and online quizzes, is that analytic people are “left brained” while the creatives among us are “right brained” (Chapter 1). Modern studies have concluded repeatedly that correlating brain function with behavior on this broad level is not this simple. Both hemispheres of the brain are capable of carrying out the same essential functions: processing sensory and perception information, motor communication to the body, and the storage and retrieval of memory.

However, there are some features that are slightly more focused in one hemisphere than the other. We describe these features as being lateralized. Many different functions have a slight preference in lateralization: for example, the right hemisphere seems slightly better at making judgments about the duration of visible stimuli or processing of low-frequency musical stimuli. Keep in mind, the left hemisphere can also perform these functions, just not quite as well as the right can.

One heavily-lateralized function is language: for most people, the production and comprehension of language is dominated by structures in the left hemisphere of the brain. This chapter will focus primarily on language.