Spheres of Influence: Right or Left Brain Dominance and Its Effect on Human Learning

Spheres of Influence: Right or Left Brain Dominance and Its Effect on Human Learning

Paul Carlson

Coll100, D030

American Military University

Dr. Michael Hall

Spheres of Influence: Right or Left Brain Dominance and Its Effect on Human Learning

The Human Brain is a living instrument of incredible complexity. The thought processes used in learning, emotion, logic and motion occur at lightning speed within this unique organ. Brain synapses occur at various locations throughout the brain directing the body instantaneously to run, walk, sit down, stand-up, fight, argue, learn and love. The most incredible human organ is also the most mysterious. Scientists studying the brain through the use of modern technologies are only beginning to understand its operation and the effect of right brain and left brain dominance on human learning.

Technology can be a useful tool when studying the brain. Over the years various scientists have tried to map brain activity using various forms of technology. The most promising is Positron Emission Tomography. PET Scanners are a Nuclear Medicine Process that makes three-dimensional images of the brain at work. The system detects pairs of Gamma Rays emitted by a positron tracer, placed in the body, on an active molecule. This produces a three dimensional image of the tracer compounds. This allows scientists to see what part of the brain is activated by stimuli. In their study using Positron Emission Tomography, Scientists Lawrence Parsons and Daniel Osherson conducted extensive research on how different stimuli affected the left or right brain activity (Parsons & Osherson, 2001). During the study they introduced two very different forms of stimuli. The first stimuli were based on deductive reasoning. When deductive reasoning often used in writing and English were introduced, the PET scan showed marked activation to the right side of the brain. When stimuli involving probabilistic reasoning or logical thinking used in math was introduced, subjects showed marked activation of left brain activity. This was repeated using various subjects with the same results (Parsons & Osherson, 2001). This study clearly supported the theory that the right and left sides of the brain help humans learn different subjects based their on either logical or deductive reasoning.

This study can also be applied to the classroom environment. In a Turkish classroom study of left and right brain dominance and its effect on learning English, teachers were asked to have students take a prepared quiz in order to determine their learning style based on right or left brain dominance (Oflaz, M. 2011). The teachers were also tested to determine their learning