Lateralized spatial processes and their lexical implications

Numerous lateralized tasks have been identified as involving spatial processing, but the extent to which they use the same spatial process is largely unknown. The present research investigated relationships among significant asymmetries from seven visuo-spatial and two verbal tasks, combining samples from previous factor analytic experiments with those from three new studies (combined N = 789). All of the spatial intercorrelations were negligible (r < 0.20), unike previous outcomes finding robust correlations within certain clusters of verbal asymmetries. However, lateral differences involving spatial quantitative processing on the one hand and figure-ground separation on the other, showed significant but independent correlations with one from visual lexical processing (word recognition). The results support three major conclusions. First, there are at least several and possibly many lateralized spatial processes. Second, hemispheric processes follow a modular architecture in preference to a diffuse or parallel distributed architecture. Finally, the dissociated correlations are consistent with a visual lexical processing model having both occipital and parietal components, potentially reconciling a current controversy over the cerebral localization of language. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.