Auditory sequencing and left cerebral dominance for language

Abstract

The Sequencing Test, which evaluates the capacity to maintain and utilize the sequential aspects of a verbal acoustic input, has demonstrated significant differences in this capacity in brain damaged and normal subjects: left brain damaged worse than right brain damaged worse than controls. Subjects with left brain damage without aphasia performed as well as subjects with right brain damage. Of the 29 aphasics given this test 27 had a significantly deficient performance by comparison with the non-aphasic brain-damaged subjects. Thus, although disturbances in “auditory sequencing” ability may be found following brain damage in general, they are significantly more prominent in aphasic subjects. It is proposed that the left cerebral hemisphere is dominant for language in right-handed individuals, at least in part, because of its predominant capacity to manipulate the sequential aspects of verbal acoustic inputs.