ABSTRACT
Visual field differences in noun and verb processing were explored in this study using a word naming task. While an analysis of variance did not show significant interactions with visual field, a multiple regression analysis of the impact of word characteristics on reaction times revealed different brain strategies according to word attributes: length and frequency were of importance in processing when words of both grammatical classes were presented to the right visual field, and imageability in the case of nouns and imageability and length in the case of verbs were important when presented to the left visual field. Additional analysis with better control on the length factor revealed unchanged pattern of contribution in the case of nouns. However, the analysis made length factor contribution to disappear in the case of verbs. In addition to its methodological contribution, the study provides evidence in support of the dual coding theory (Paivio, 1990; 1991).
