The Lateralization Of Arithmetic And Number Processing: A Review

Abstract

Calculation and number processing require ideographic and semantic operations which may involve the right as well as the left hemisphere. There is often also present a spatial component, whether overt as with column-addition or multiplication procedures, or covert if numbers are recoded into continuously varying analog quantities or magnitudes of a psychophysical or imaginal nature, to facilitate numerical comparison. Again right hemisphere mechanisms may be partly responsible. Evidence for such a minor hemisphere contribution is reviewed in the light of studies with clinical and commissurotomy cases, and normal subjects. Calculation itself is hard to define, as it often seems to reduce to the operation of overlearn, associative, tabular look-up functions and algorithms. Indeed alphabetic comparisons analogous to numerical tasks should generate similar laterality effects in clinical and normal populations.

Neuropsychological and behavioral functioning in children with and without obstructive sleep apnea referred for tonsillectomy

“…Aspects of attention and arithmetic functioning (noted to be susceptible to disruption in this study) also have been tied to right hemisphere functioning (Grunau and Low, 1987; Landau and Gross-Tsur, 1999; Troup et al, 1983; Voeller, 1986). Thus, our results are consistent with other studies that have suggested that right hemisphere-related areas mediating problem solving and close attention during visual-spatial processing may be particularly susceptible to dysfunction when sleep is chronically disrupted (Hopkins and Haaland, 2004; Kales et al, 1985; Naismith et al, 2004).…”

Sex differences in mathematical reasoning ability in intellectually talented preadolescents: Their nature, effects, and possible causes

“…The right hemisphere is traditionally considered specialized for nonverbal tasks and the left for verbal, although these differences may not be qualitative but quantitative. Mathematical reasoning ability, especially in contrast to computational ability, may be more strongly under the influence of the right hemisphere (Benbow 1988;Gardner 1983;Troup et al 1983;Warrington 1982). Thus, it would seem reasonable to predict that lefthanders have an advantage on such tasks, and we began to investigate this hypothesis among our most talented mathematical reasoners.…”

“…This reasoning is similar to that used to describe the differing contributions of the hemispheres in mathematics. The left hemisphere is involved in computation (e.g., Zolog 1983), while the right is involved in understanding numerical relations and concepts (Gardner 1983;Troup et al 1983).…”

How do incorrect results change the processing of arithmetic information? Evidence from a divided visual field experiment

“…non-verbal numerical indicators), a right hemisphere advantage has been reported (Troup, Bradshaw, & Nettleton, 1983). Thus, evidence indicates that not only the format of the 4 numerical information is important in visual field experiments (Boles, 1986), but also the task requirements, as suggested by Ratinckx and collaborators (2001).…”