On the nonrelation between spatial frequency and cerebral hemispheric competence

Abstract

The hypothesis that the two cerebral hemispheres are specialized for processing different visual spatial frequencies is discussed in reference to Christman's (1989) review. It is suggested that the relevant results from every study reviewed by Christman which support the hypothesis can also be explained in terms of the total amount of visible information or energy contained in a visual stimulus, and the right hemisphere's relative resistance to information degradation. A recent study provides evidence in support of this total visible information/energy hypothesis, and appropriate measures of information/energy are discussed. Furthermore, results from the studies reviewed may reflect response bias and not hemispheric specialization or competence. The few studies which examine response bias support such an interpretation.