Resource Allocation in Cerebral Specialization of Function: Behavioral and Electrophysiological Studies

摘要

The purpose of this project was to study, using both cognitive and electrophysiological methods the relationship between resource allocation theory and functional cerebral lateralization. A number of cognitive experiments have been completed during the period of this project. Two experiments were completed and analyzed that addressed the question of whether hemispheric differences in information processing may be characterized by differences in the way information is represented or the relative speed and accuracy with which the processes within a hemisphere can operate on a representational system. According to Anderson (1983) there are at least three types of representations of information which are qualitatively different: spatial images, temporal strings and abstract propositions. Theoretically, these representations differ in the way the information is encoded, the processes by which matches of incoming information are made against the current representation, and how new structures within a representational system are constructed. The unity of the concept of cerebral specialization with the allocation of resources model has proven useful in accounting for otherwise disparate research findings involving perception, cognition, and motor performance. Moreover, this approach suggests explanations for patterns of task interference that are not readily interpretable within the information processing framework.