The effects of orienting task on differential hemispheric EEG activation

Abstract

Sixteen right-handed men heard 12 brief cue questions pertaining to each of four tasks. Each cue question was followed by the announcement of a single trait adjective, which was either positive, neutral or negative. Judgements of self reference and volume discrimination evoked greater relative left hemispheric EEG activation than judgements of evaluation and rhyme. Differential hemispheric EEG activation was not affected, however, by the depth-of-processing. Once the assigned task was completed, affect-laden (positive or negative) adjectives elicited less relative left hemispheric EEG activity than neutral words.