ABSTRACT
The LH is superior to the RH at language processing (for most tasks). This conclusion is entirely uncontroversial. But we maintain that it is not enough to know that the left hemisphere (LH) is better, we need to know why it is better. Therefore, as the reader has probably noticed by now, studying RH language is really just a special case of studying how the brain processes language in general, and of studying how the hemispheres differently process language in particular. A cognitive neuroscience approach to this endeavor includes at least four goals:
1. Describing the processing patterns of each hemisphere 2. Describing the biological (macro-and microanatomical, chemical,
physiological) asymmetries of brain areas involved in language 3. Using each level of information to guide/ constrain search at the other
levels 4. Eventually linking cognitive processing of both hemispheres to their
biological characteristics
This volume focuses on Goals 1 and 3-that is, describing the cognitive asymmetries, sometimes guided by neuroscientific knowledge and other times providing a guide for others who take neuroscientific approaches.
