Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watarts.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!mupmalis From: mupmalis@watarts.UUCP (mike upmalis) Newsgroups: net.bio,net.women Subject: Re: Left vs right brains Message-ID: <8418@watarts.UUCP> Date: Thu, 18-Apr-85 03:31:42 EST Article-I.D.: watarts.8418 Posted: Thu Apr 18 03:31:42 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 18-Apr-85 08:02:55 EST References: <1649@ittvax.UUCP> Reply-To: mupmalis@watarts.UUCP (mike upmalis) Distribution: net Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 64 Xref: watmath net.bio:176 net.women:4791 Summary: In article <1649@ittvax.UUCP> aouriri@ittvax.UUCP (Chedley Aouriri) writes: >A possible explanation comes from the biology of the brain. > >The human brain is functionally divided into two lateral parts: The >left part handles mainly the sequential, rational and "scientific" >thoughts, while the right part handles the artistic, emotional >and philosophical thoughts. Schematically speaking, the left >part is the scientific/computer part, while the right part is the >artistic/philosophical part. This is one of the pop psych definitions of the brain, and far from the truth, the labels of verbal/non verbal analytic/wholistic etc are far two simplistic. One example the execution of tasks like brushing one's teeth, may be executed by either hemisphere, but is planned by the left. As far as the artistic/philosophical distinction, some artists after right hemisphere CVAs (cardio Vascular Accidents) show a definite change but retention and even improvement in artistics and esthethics... (Reference Shattered Mind by Howard Gardner a wonderful non technical book that explains much about brain function..) Work done with split brain patients by Gazzinga, Wilson and Sperry saw no loss of purported right hemisphere skills after there inter hemipsheric communication system (corpus callosum) was severed... > >Statistically, most WOMEN are RIGHT-BRAINED (ie. the right part of >their brain is more developed than the left part), while most >MEN are LEFT-BRAINED. Whether this is the result of historical and >socio-cultural conditions of the female gender is a different >subject/topic. > About 90-95% of the population is right brain dominant for speech. More men than women are right brain dominant but this stills leaves about 90 percent of women right brain dominant. Preferred cognitive style may not necessarily reflect on hemispheric dominnace, there is a great deal of difficulty using hand preference to 'flag' which hemipshere is the boss. Actually males brains are larger on average than females, that is a stronger difference than and cross hemisphere comparison. >Because the SYMMETRY of the human nervous system, the left part >of the brain controls the right parts of the human body (arms, >hands, legs..) while the right part of the brain controls the >left body parts. > >Therefore, most women are cleverer with their left hands than >they are with their right hands, which makes it easier >for them to button right-over-left buttons than the other way >around. This is why male shirts are left over right buttoned, >while female shirts are right over left buttoned. > Ths is an overly simplistic way of looking at muscular control, issues like feedback (visual distnct from tactile), proximal vs distal musculature...) >Also, statistically, more women are left-handed than men. See previous stats ..... Strong but technical reference.. Laterality: Functional Assymetry in the Intact brain...Dr Phil Bryden (1982) -- ~~ Mike Upmalis (mupmalis@watarts)