Page 1. BOOK REVIEWS Variances and Anomalies Sex-Related Differences in Cognitive Function-ing. D... more Page 1. BOOK REVIEWS Variances and Anomalies Sex-Related Differences in Cognitive Function-ing. Developmental Issues. MICHELE ANDRI-SIN WITTIG and ANNE C. PETERSEN, Eds. Ac-ademic Press, New York, 1979. xviii, 378 pp., illus. $24.50. ...
Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, 1998
Page 1. Footedness in Peacocks: Is the Dominant Foot the One Raised First in Climbing, and What, ... more Page 1. Footedness in Peacocks: Is the Dominant Foot the One Raised First in Climbing, and What, in any Case, Does the Emperor's Tale Really Mean? Lauren Julius Harris Michigan State University, USA INTRODUCTION ...
In my analysis (Harris, 1991) of Broca's views (1865) on the relationship of handedness t... more In my analysis (Harris, 1991) of Broca's views (1865) on the relationship of handedness to speech representation, a passage from one of Broca's later articles was mistranslated. This has implications for one part of the analysis, which this note explains. New details and comments are also added to the story.
Five hundred one right-handers (150 men, 351 women) and 53 left-handers (15 men, 38 women) were a... more Five hundred one right-handers (150 men, 351 women) and 53 left-handers (15 men, 38 women) were asked to imagine holding a young infant in their arms. Right-handers reported significant left-side biases--in 68% of the men and 73% of the women. For left-handers, side preferences were weaker, the left-side bias dropping to 47% for men and 60% for women, with neither figure different from chance. The results are discussed in the context of theory and research on the functional neuroanatomy of attention, emotional arousal, and the generation, maintenance, and manipulation of mental images.
The federal judicial decision to order 22-yr-old draft-card burner John Baehler committed for psy... more The federal judicial decision to order 22-yr-old draft-card burner John Baehler committed for psychiatric care until mentally competent to stand trial for burning his draft card at a demonstration raises issues related to the punitive use of psychiatric care, particularly in relation to political dissent. (0 ref)
100 children (50 boys) ranging from preschoolers to third graders judged which of two silhouettes... more 100 children (50 boys) ranging from preschoolers to third graders judged which of two silhouettes was" more like" a third that was identical with one figure in color, to the other in shape. Each S made 72 judgments: 24 with animal outlines, 24 with" scrambled" figures, ...
In 1949, the neurologist Juhn Wada reported the first use of a new procedure for determining the ... more In 1949, the neurologist Juhn Wada reported the first use of a new procedure for determining the localization of speech and language in neurological patients: examination of the effects on speech and language after injecting a barbiturate, sodium amytal, into the internal carotid artery of each hemisphere in succession. By the 1960's, Wada's Intracarotid Amobarbital Procedure, or IAP, had become the method of choice for identifying the speech-dominant side in one kind of neurological patient, persons with epilepsy who are candidates for surgical resection, and it remains so today. In 1941, however, an American neurosurgeon, W. James Gardner, reported his use of a different anesthetization procedure for speech localization in neurological patients. Instead of injecting sodium amytal through the blood supply, as in IAP, Gardner injected procaine hydrochloride directly into cortical tissue. In this paper, we provide a brief biography of Gardner. We then discuss his method of cortical anesthetization, the theoretical and empirical background guiding his use of this method and his choice of patients, and, finally, the fate of Gardner's method within the scientific community.
In 1962, the psychologist Lee Salk reported finding that 80% of mothers held their infants on the... more In 1962, the psychologist Lee Salk reported finding that 80% of mothers held their infants on the left side of their body, so that the infant's head was to their left. Salk's finding has been amply confirmed, with new studies of mothers as well as other adults reporting figures for left-side holding ranging from 60 to 85% (e.g., de Chateau, 1983; Harris & Fitzgerald, 1985; Harris, Almerigi, & Kirsch, 2000). New studies also suggest that the bias is only for holding infants (or infant dolls), not for books, packages, or other objects (e.g., Almerigi, Carbary, & Harris, 2001; Rheingold & Keene, 1965). The possibility that it is unique to infants (or their likenesses) is what gives it special interest for investigators who study laterality of function. The discovery of the bias is often credited to Salk, but it would be more accurate to say that he rediscovered it because it was first noted at least two hundred years earlier, then, evidently, forgotten, only to be rediscovered and again forgotten several times through the early decades of the twentieth century. Over this period, however, not all agreed that the preferred side was the left: a nearly equal number said it was the right. Each group also proposed explanations for why one or the other side was preferred. They also foresaw different consequences for the infant being held. In the 1980s, I briefly described some of the early reports in essays on the history of theories and research on laterality of function (Harris, 1980, 1983). A manuscript now in preparation provides a more comprehensive description and evaluation of these reports and suggests certain lessons they may hold for current theory and research. The poster proposed for TENNET XII will summarize the main points of this new review and analysis. The poster will be organized into 6 sections, with bulleted text accompanied by drawings, photographs, and other illustrations. The plan is to make the story as visual as possible.
Page 1. BOOK REVIEWS Variances and Anomalies Sex-Related Differences in Cognitive Function-ing. D... more Page 1. BOOK REVIEWS Variances and Anomalies Sex-Related Differences in Cognitive Function-ing. Developmental Issues. MICHELE ANDRI-SIN WITTIG and ANNE C. PETERSEN, Eds. Ac-ademic Press, New York, 1979. xviii, 378 pp., illus. $24.50. ...
Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition, 1998
Page 1. Footedness in Peacocks: Is the Dominant Foot the One Raised First in Climbing, and What, ... more Page 1. Footedness in Peacocks: Is the Dominant Foot the One Raised First in Climbing, and What, in any Case, Does the Emperor's Tale Really Mean? Lauren Julius Harris Michigan State University, USA INTRODUCTION ...
In my analysis (Harris, 1991) of Broca's views (1865) on the relationship of handedness t... more In my analysis (Harris, 1991) of Broca's views (1865) on the relationship of handedness to speech representation, a passage from one of Broca's later articles was mistranslated. This has implications for one part of the analysis, which this note explains. New details and comments are also added to the story.
Five hundred one right-handers (150 men, 351 women) and 53 left-handers (15 men, 38 women) were a... more Five hundred one right-handers (150 men, 351 women) and 53 left-handers (15 men, 38 women) were asked to imagine holding a young infant in their arms. Right-handers reported significant left-side biases--in 68% of the men and 73% of the women. For left-handers, side preferences were weaker, the left-side bias dropping to 47% for men and 60% for women, with neither figure different from chance. The results are discussed in the context of theory and research on the functional neuroanatomy of attention, emotional arousal, and the generation, maintenance, and manipulation of mental images.
The federal judicial decision to order 22-yr-old draft-card burner John Baehler committed for psy... more The federal judicial decision to order 22-yr-old draft-card burner John Baehler committed for psychiatric care until mentally competent to stand trial for burning his draft card at a demonstration raises issues related to the punitive use of psychiatric care, particularly in relation to political dissent. (0 ref)
100 children (50 boys) ranging from preschoolers to third graders judged which of two silhouettes... more 100 children (50 boys) ranging from preschoolers to third graders judged which of two silhouettes was" more like" a third that was identical with one figure in color, to the other in shape. Each S made 72 judgments: 24 with animal outlines, 24 with" scrambled" figures, ...
In 1949, the neurologist Juhn Wada reported the first use of a new procedure for determining the ... more In 1949, the neurologist Juhn Wada reported the first use of a new procedure for determining the localization of speech and language in neurological patients: examination of the effects on speech and language after injecting a barbiturate, sodium amytal, into the internal carotid artery of each hemisphere in succession. By the 1960's, Wada's Intracarotid Amobarbital Procedure, or IAP, had become the method of choice for identifying the speech-dominant side in one kind of neurological patient, persons with epilepsy who are candidates for surgical resection, and it remains so today. In 1941, however, an American neurosurgeon, W. James Gardner, reported his use of a different anesthetization procedure for speech localization in neurological patients. Instead of injecting sodium amytal through the blood supply, as in IAP, Gardner injected procaine hydrochloride directly into cortical tissue. In this paper, we provide a brief biography of Gardner. We then discuss his method of cortical anesthetization, the theoretical and empirical background guiding his use of this method and his choice of patients, and, finally, the fate of Gardner's method within the scientific community.
In 1962, the psychologist Lee Salk reported finding that 80% of mothers held their infants on the... more In 1962, the psychologist Lee Salk reported finding that 80% of mothers held their infants on the left side of their body, so that the infant's head was to their left. Salk's finding has been amply confirmed, with new studies of mothers as well as other adults reporting figures for left-side holding ranging from 60 to 85% (e.g., de Chateau, 1983; Harris & Fitzgerald, 1985; Harris, Almerigi, & Kirsch, 2000). New studies also suggest that the bias is only for holding infants (or infant dolls), not for books, packages, or other objects (e.g., Almerigi, Carbary, & Harris, 2001; Rheingold & Keene, 1965). The possibility that it is unique to infants (or their likenesses) is what gives it special interest for investigators who study laterality of function. The discovery of the bias is often credited to Salk, but it would be more accurate to say that he rediscovered it because it was first noted at least two hundred years earlier, then, evidently, forgotten, only to be rediscovered and again forgotten several times through the early decades of the twentieth century. Over this period, however, not all agreed that the preferred side was the left: a nearly equal number said it was the right. Each group also proposed explanations for why one or the other side was preferred. They also foresaw different consequences for the infant being held. In the 1980s, I briefly described some of the early reports in essays on the history of theories and research on laterality of function (Harris, 1980, 1983). A manuscript now in preparation provides a more comprehensive description and evaluation of these reports and suggests certain lessons they may hold for current theory and research. The poster proposed for TENNET XII will summarize the main points of this new review and analysis. The poster will be organized into 6 sections, with bulleted text accompanied by drawings, photographs, and other illustrations. The plan is to make the story as visual as possible.
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