Document Type
Poster Presentation
Start Date
18-4-2019 9:15 AM
End Date
18-4-2019 10:30 AM
Keywords
memory, handedness, language
Biography
My name is Marissa Owens. I am from West Union, WV and am currently a senior Psychology major at Marshall University. After graduating this Spring, I plan to pursue graduate school at Marshall University and receive a Master's degree in either Clinical Psychology or Counseling.
Major
Psychology
Advisor for this project
Melissa Atkins
Abstract
The Effect of Handedness on Spoken and Written Language Memory
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine whether handedness influences the ability of an individual to recall spoken information versus written information. Language functions such as grammar, vocabulary, and literal meaning are typically lateralized to the left hemisphere, especially in right handed individuals. While language production is especially left-lateralized in right handed people, it is more bilateral, or even right-lateralized, in a majority of left handers. Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, two areas associated with the production of speech, are located in the left cerebral hemisphere for about 95% of right handers and 70% of left handers (Price, 2010). This could affect how left-handed individuals process different forms of information. This procedural difference could potentially be found in the different types of language recall, which is what we are examining and testing in this study. Participants in this study are assigned to one of eight conditions to examine verbal and written memory for varying presentations of information (spoken, written, and handwritten). Language ability is being measured with the California Verbal Learning Test, working memory is being measured with a standard n-back test, and handedness is being assessed with the Edinburgh Handedness Scale. Preliminary results support the hypothesis that there are differences in processing between left-handed and right-handed individuals.
The Effects of Handedness on Written and Verbal Language Memory
The Effect of Handedness on Spoken and Written Language Memory
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine whether handedness influences the ability of an individual to recall spoken information versus written information. Language functions such as grammar, vocabulary, and literal meaning are typically lateralized to the left hemisphere, especially in right handed individuals. While language production is especially left-lateralized in right handed people, it is more bilateral, or even right-lateralized, in a majority of left handers. Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, two areas associated with the production of speech, are located in the left cerebral hemisphere for about 95% of right handers and 70% of left handers (Price, 2010). This could affect how left-handed individuals process different forms of information. This procedural difference could potentially be found in the different types of language recall, which is what we are examining and testing in this study. Participants in this study are assigned to one of eight conditions to examine verbal and written memory for varying presentations of information (spoken, written, and handwritten). Language ability is being measured with the California Verbal Learning Test, working memory is being measured with a standard n-back test, and handedness is being assessed with the Edinburgh Handedness Scale. Preliminary results support the hypothesis that there are differences in processing between left-handed and right-handed individuals.
