Differential Cognitive and Emotional Functions of the Cerebral Hemispheres

Abstract

The major theme in this book thus far has been the description of the structure, function, and operation of the hierarchical control system, both in conscious and unconscious behavior. That control system was defined as the biological organizational structure that determined in its broadest context most mammalian and consequently most human behavior. However, reference has also been made to another control system, the interhemispheric, which apparently contributes an extra dimension, particularly in humans, to the activities of the hierarchical control system. The description of the differences between the activities of the left and right hemispheres presented in Chapter 1 was intended to introduce that dimension, however briefly, at an early point in this volume. Here it is necessary to examine the mechanisms through which the hemispheric system modifies and is modified by the activities of the hierarchical control system.