Visual-spatial orientation, gaze direction and dichotic listening asymmetries.

The effects of visual-spatial orientation on dichotic listening performance were investigated in a sample of right-handed male and female adults. The 30 pairs of dichotic stimuli (/ba/ka/da/ga/ta/pa) were presented under three conditions: eye gaze fixed toward center, eye gaze directed 20 degrees to the right, and eye gaze directed 20 degrees to the left of center. Although no effect for gender or order was evident, a significant right ear advantage was found under all conditions. However, over all dichotic listening accuracy was significantly increased when visual-spatial orientation was directed to the right or left side of space.