The effect of analytic versus holistic encoding instructions on hemispheric superiority.

A modification of the tachistoscopic letter detection task employed by Neisser (1963) was utilized to examine hemispheric differences in employing analytic and holistic processing strategies. Stimulus arrays designed to elicit either serial or parallel processing sets were presented to the right hemisphere-left visual field (RH-LVF) or to the left hemisphere-right visual field (LH-RVF). Subjects were explicitly directed to perform an analytic or holistic encoding process on both types of stimulus arrays. The serial array produced longer reaction times than the parallel array for both hemispheres. A RH-LVF reaction time advantage was found across both stimulus sets and instructions. In addition, an overall reaction time advantage was found for holistic instructions relative to analytic instructions, but this superiority was not effected by hemisphere or contextual stimuli.