Mark McDonald wrote:
>> In article <329B10F3.699E at iac.net>, Perry Sill <psill at iac.net> wrote:
>> >Does anyone know of any literature on a relationship between a) deficits of
> >integration between the left & right brains, and b) personality? I am
> >interested in such formulations as they would apply to normal (not
> >split-brain or otherwise brain-damaged) subjects. Thanks in advance.
>> You might also find interesting cases where a hehispherectomy has been
> done (one usually severly malformed adn deseased hehisphere of the brain
> is removed). These could serve as a test for if a hemisphere is missing,
> what can the other hemisphere compensate for. I know that the procedure
> has been done but I do not know what if any research has been done on it.
>> --
> Scincerely,
> Scintor
>> There are those who say that no true story ever ends...
> There are others who say that there is only one true story and we are all a part of it.
Hi,
You have raised a REALLY important question which occupies much of my
reflective time as a clinical neuropsychologist whose alter ego plays
with "fun" personality psychology (http://www.win.net/insightsys read
"Alphabet Soup".)
The fact is, the popular literature is so grotesquely ill-informed about
neuropsychology that it is laughable. The neuropsychology literature is
so conservative, it won't venture a guess about the issue you
raise(being mired in the "knowing more and more about less and less"
which characterizes much of "serious science.")
I don't know your scientific background, but I can strongly recommend
CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY by Heilman and Valenstein (Oxford, 1993) as a
good basic text.
For a reasonably accurate pop-psych book, I recommend TWO SIDES OF THE
BRAIN by Segalowitz (Prentice-Hall, 1983, available as a Spectrum
paperback.) Its date handicaps it a bit, but it's a good beginning.
There's another, but I can't locate it or recall the author: LEFT BRAIN,
RIGHT BRAIN. It's OK. Also a bit out-dated (mid eighties.)
What scares me is that there are actually people out there--making
money, winning converts--who are selling "brain-dominance" instruments
to major corporations, when they are simply ludicrous in their
ignorance.
Don't hesitate to contact me if you want further information.
Dr. Martine J. RoBards