Lexical Processing in the Two Cerebral Hemispheres

University Of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

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Abstract

This project examines the processing of words and non-words within the two cerebral hemispheres. Little is known about how lexical information is stored within the brain or how it is accessed in the two hemispheres during reading. The proposed study will use modern electroencephalograph (EEG) techniques to observe the neural responses in normal subjects while reading both words and meaningless yet pronounceable non-words. I hypothesize that both hemispheres are capable of processing lexical stimuli, and that they exhibit different neural responses for words and non-words based on the different processing requirements for each. I also hypothesize that word reading involves dual participation of both hemispheres, evidenced by changes in neural responses during word reading when bihemispheric cooperation is discouraged. Finally, I will demonstrate that by manipulating factors such as familiarity and meaningfulness for lexical stimuli it is possible to alter the neural responses they elicit. Together, these studies will contribute to basic knowledge for how words are stored in memory and expand our understanding for the role of both cerebral hemispheres in the processing of language.