Toward a Model to Explain Infant Preferences by Cerebral Emotional Asymmetry and Hemisphere Priming

Abstract

This paper argues that the rightward preference observed in most infants can be described as the consequence of two characteristics of the human brain: (1) hemispheric asymmetry of processes underlying emotional experience and (2) priming of cerebral function. Ample research evidence supports each of these propositions, and they have gained increasing, though not universal, acceptance. In combination, they provide a sufficient explanation for several preferences which may have human survival value. They also produce several side-effects in human behavior which can be observed, but which appear to have no survival function.

Key Words:

• emotional asymmetry
• hemisphere priming
• handedness
• lateralization
• evolution
• infants