LATERALITY FOR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS - DOES THE SEX OF THE SUBJECT INTERACT WITH THE SEX OF THE STIMULUS FACE

Seventy right-handed subjects (35 males and 35 females) were shown lat eralized pictures of negative, neutral, and positive facial emotional expressions. For each emotional category, half of the pictures were of a male face showing the emotion, half were of a female face. The pict ures were shown in the left visual half-field for half of the trials a nd in the right half-field for the other half of the trials. The quest ion addressed was whether the sex of the stimulus face interacts with the sex of the subject for hemisphere differences in perception of fac ial emotions. Response accuracy and reaction time were measured. The p ictures were shown from a slide projector with a high-speed shutter mo unted to the lens to allow for tachistoscopic presentations. The resul ts showed that the right hemisphere was more accurate and faster than the left in recognizing the stimulus faces, and that positive emotions were overall more easily recognized. The lack of a significant intera ction between sex of the stimulus and sex of the subject indicates tha t these two factors are not interrelated or confounded in laterality r esearch.