An Analysis of the Naming Deficit of Left-Handers

Abstract

Left-handers have been found to have a naming deficit when confronted with briefly flashed words. Three alternative explanations of this deficit were tested: whether it was due to deviant interhemispheric cooperation, relatively diffuse neural organization, or left hemispheric dysfunction. In Experiment I, four words were presented for 190 ms, unilaterally (to a single hemisphere), or bilaterally (between the hemispheres). Although left-handers (N = 48) named significantly less than right-handers (N = 30), performance was parallel across hemispheric conditions. Experiment II required semantic categorization, but not naming. The performance of the left-handers (N = 27) was indistinguishable from that of right-handers (N = 27) both in terms of overall performance and interhemispheric collaboration. It is concluded that the linguistic deficit of left-handers is specific to oral naming and that it is not caused by deviant interhemispheric cooperation.

Key Words:

• left-handedness
• naming deficit