Inconsistent-handed advantage in episodic memory extends to paragraph-level materials

Past research using handedness as a proxy for functional access to the right hemisphere demonstrates that individuals who are mixed/inconsistently handed outperform strong/consistently handed individuals when performing episodic recall tasks. However, research has generally been restricted to stimul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Memory (Hove) 2017-09, Vol.25 (8), p.1063-1071
Main Authors: Prichard, Eric C, Christman, Stephen D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Female
Functional Laterality
Handedness
Hemispheric laterality
Humans
Male
Memory, Episodic
Mental Recall
Reading
Recognition (Psychology)
Young Adult
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Summary:Past research using handedness as a proxy for functional access to the right hemisphere demonstrates that individuals who are mixed/inconsistently handed outperform strong/consistently handed individuals when performing episodic recall tasks. However, research has generally been restricted to stimuli presented in a list format. In the present paper, we present two studies in which participants were presented with paragraph-level material and then asked to recall material from the passages. The first study was based on a classic study looking at retroactive interference with prose materials. The second was modelled on a classic experiment looking at perspective taking and the content of memory. In both studies, the classic effects were replicated and the general finding that mixed/inconsistent-handers outperform strong/consistent-handers was replicated. This suggests that considering degree of handedness may be an empirically useful means of reducing error variance in paradigms looking at memory for prose level material.
ISSN:0965-8211
1464-0686
DOI:10.1080/09658211.2016.1257725