Hemisphere lateralization of inductive and deductive processes.

Abstract

Experiments were performed on 453 Wistar rats. Motion-food and electrodefensive behavioral techniques were applied. The following models were used: a conditioned reflex formation, generalization and specialization of a conditioned reflex, the dynamic stereotype, visual image synthesizing, a conditioned reflex to a stimulus complex. Primary and secondary analysis and synthesis of stimuli were discriminated. Induction and deduction were considered as a certain sequence of analysis and synthesis in time. Primary analysis and secondary synthesis were shown to be mainly lateralized in the left hemisphere and primary synthesis and secondary analysis in the right one. The conclusion was drawn that, in animals, the left hemisphere processes information mainly according to the principle of induction (from the particular to the general) and the right one does so according to the principle of deduction (from the general to the particular).