RECOGNITION OF JAPANESE <I>KANJI</I> AND <I>HIRAKANA</I> IN THE LEFT AND RIGHT VISUAL FIELDS

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted concerning recognition of verbal material in Japanese. In Experiment I, single Kanji and Hirakana (corresponding to the used Kanji) were presented tachistoscopically to the left or right visual field. Kanji was recognized more accurately in the left visual field while Hirakana was recognized better in the right visual field. In a second experiment, Kanji words and mixed words (Kanji were mixed with Hirakana) were presented to either the left or the right visual field. The results indicate that Kanji has properties which are different from the other types of verbal materials and the direction of laterality differences for Kanji depends upon very different types of brain processing. Furthermore the results suggest the possibility of cultural differences between Japanese and Westerners in hemispheric information processing systems.