Lateralized Cognitive Style and Self-Description

Abstract

A scale of hemispheric preference in cognitive style was related to self-report measures of emotional functioning, with the hypothesis that persons who rely on cognition characteristic of one hemisphere may also manifest emotional characteristics of that hemisphere. In two studies, university students characterizing themselves as preferring a cognitive style representative of right hemisphere processes endorsed more positive emotional orientations. This finding may suggest a more optimistic attitude, but may also reflect a tendency to deny negative traits; a right hemispheric cognitive style was associated with a positive self-report bias. These observations in normals have interesting parallels to the changes in emotional orientation and self-description bias that follow lateralized brain lesions or temporal lobe epilepsy.