Hemispheric difference in semantic priming for early and late age of acquisition words

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: Empirical Research

Findings and Conclusions: The present research investigated the hypothesis that there are hemispheric differences in semantic priming for early and late age of acquisition (AoA) words. To test this hypothesis, semantic priming effects were measured in the left and the right hemisphere using the divided visual field technique. The stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was varied. A short SOA of 250 ms and a long SOA of 750 ms were used. The results demonstrated that in the short SOA condition there were no differences in the priming effects observed for early or late AoA words in either hemisphere. However, in the long SOA condition, early AoA words showed priming effects only in the LVF/RH, whereas the late AoA words showed priming effects only in the RVF/LH. Overall, the results suggested that the two hemispheres process early and late AoA words differently. Implications for current models of hemispheric processing are discussed.