The Hemispheric Lateralization for Processing Geometric Word/Shape Combinations: The Stroop-Shape Effect

• Published in: The Journal of general psychology Vol. 137; no. 1; pp. 1 - 19
• Main Authors: Gier, Vicki S., Kreiner, David S., Solso, Robert L., Cox, Sheryl Lynn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Taylor & Francis Group 01.01.2010; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Analysis of Variance; Anatomical correlates of behavior; Attention - physiology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain; Brain research; Cognition & reasoning; Experiments; Female; Functional Laterality - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; hemispheric lateralization; Humans; Hypotheses; incongruency effect; Male; Medical imaging; Names; Neurosciences; Older people; Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology; Photic Stimulation; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; R&D; Reaction Time - physiology; Research & development; shape recognition; Stroop Test; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Visual Fields - physiology; word recognition; Human; Word; Hemispheric specialization; Central nervous system; Cognition; Experimental study; Encephalon; incongruency effect; hemispheric lateralization; Stimulus shape; Language; Stroop effect; word recognition; Information processing; shape recognition; Laterality; Recognition
• ISSN: 0022-1309; 1940-0888
• DOI: 10.1080/00221300903293022

The authors conducted 4 experiments to test whether hemispheric lateralization occurs for the processing of geometric word-shape combinations. In 3 experiments, participants responded to geometric shapes combined with geometric words (square, circle, triangle). In the 4th experiment, stimuli were combinations of geometric shapes and nongeometric words. The authors predicted that it would take longer to respond in incongruent conditions (e.g., the word "square" combined with the shape of a circle) than in congruent conditions. The authors found the strongest incongruency effects for the dominant hemisphere-that is, the left hemisphere for responding to words and the right hemisphere for responding to shapes. A Shape Interfering Properties hypothesis (SIP) is a possible explanation for these results.