Effects of Brain 9
functions. However, neither hemisphere functions completely independently; rather, they
function interdependently (see Gazzaniga 1985; Sperry 1985). For example, information
arriving from one half of the body is initially transmitted to the opposite side and then
transmitted to the other side through the corpus callosum for further interpretation (Andersen et
al., 1979). Consequently, information is processed by both sides of the brain, with each
hemisphere contributing to the comprehension of the information through the specific processing
activities of each side (Stacks & Sellers, 1986). This perspective conceives of the brain as
holistic in its processing of information, such that the brain processes information using both
hemispheres. The idea of an holistic brain emphasizes the specialized processing of each part of
the brain and how that specialization influences the whole system (Ornstein, 1978; Stacks &
Andersen, 1989). Consequently, no information is processed exclusively by one hemisphere, but
each hemisphere does specialize in the processing of particular kinds of information.
Primary control over language is a function of the left hemisphere. However, verbal
communication is not a function of the left hemisphere alone. The right hemisphere has potential
for language, and the existence of right hemisphere language (see Searleman, 1977) does have an
effect on how the communication system operates (Stacks & Sellers, 1986). Furthermore, Zaidel
(1985) suggested that in most individuals that right hemisphere plays a supportive role in the
processing of language. Consequently, both hemispheres understand and process some
language, and each hemisphere has a particular function in the processing of that language.
More important, however, the two hemispheres “communicate” with one another, through the
corpus callosum, before the final interpretation or action is taken.
Primary control over nonverbal functions is a function of the right hemisphere (Bouma,
1990; Gazzaniga, 1987). Specifically, the right hemisphere manages subtle pattern
Convention