Measuring Neurological Dominance
Since the differences between the functioning of the right and left hemispheres of the brain have been known for some time, a number of people have proposed tests to establish which is the dominant hemisphere in a person.
At the simplest level, we know that the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa. It has therefore been assumed that left-handed people are predominantly right-brained. However, while it is true that it is statistically probable that a left-handed person is predominantly right-brained, only 10% of the population are left handed whereas the proportion of the population who are dominantly right-brained is far greater. Handedness alone can only provide a clue.
A more accurate assessment is provided by the Stroop test. Developed by J Ridley Stroop in 1935 the test was originally designed to assess our mental agility but also proves to be a good indicator of hemispheral dominance.
The test works by presenting an individual with a series of words that are the names of colours. Each word however is written in a colour that is different to the word itself. The individual is asked to read the colour, not the word, of each word as fast as possible.
Assuming equal reading skills, left-brained people generally find this easier and are able to read the colours faster than more right-brained people. This is because left-brained people process information sequentially, whereas right-brained people process information more simultaneously. The right-brained people therefore tend to find it more difficult to separate the colour information from the word information and therefore find it mentally more taxing. |
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Fun as the Stroop test is, it only provides a rough indication of dominance. For a more accurate measurement a person needs to be properly assessed using a recognised tool such as the one used by all MyBrain Practitioners.
If you would like to attend a workshop at which you could discover your own Neurological Dominance profile then please contact MyBrain International for further information. Click here for contact details. Alternatively, if would like to find out how you could become a MyBrain Practitioner an run your own workshops, then click here for further details.
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