RELATIONSHIPS AMONG MULTIPLE TASK ASYMMETRIES II - A LARGE-SAMPLE FACTOR-ANALYSIS

Samples from published and unpublished factor analytic studies of mult iple task asymmetry are combined to product a large-sample factor anal ysis of 10 measures, prescreened for significant asymmetry and accepta ble reliability, from 9 lateralized tasks. A full correlational matrix is presented. with task pairings having sample sires ranging from 103 to 479 (mean N = 290). Both significant positive and significant nega tive correlations between measures are found. Extraction and oblique r otation of five factors fails to reveal any evidence of a global relat ionship among lateral difference measures, and principal-components an alysis likewise fails to reveal a component to which all measures corr elate positively. However, evidence for local structure is found. Resu lts are interpreted in terms of dissociable hemispheric processes. and consideration is given of the possible existence of modality-specific characteristic perceptual asymmetry and of single versus multiple det ermination of lateral differences. (C) 1998 Academic Press.