Factor-analytic item analysis of the Hemispheric Mode Indicator

A principal component analysis based on data for 1113 undergraduates reveal ed that, as operationalized by the Hemispheric Mode Indicator, cognitive he mispheric dominance is not a unitary concept. This instrument appealed to e valuate three discrete cognitive preferences: "prefers structure" vs. "pref ers flexibility", "fact-oriented" vs. "feeling-oriented," and "verbal" vs. "visuospatial." Furthermore, some items are negatively correlated with most others, are ambiguously worded, are excessively complex, or may suffer fro m response bias. Most importantly, of the three underlying subscales listed above, only the last is obviously related to an empirically demonstrable a spect of cognitive cerebral laterality. For these and other reasons, it is unlikely that the Hemispheric Mode Indicator is a good measure of demonstra ble hemispheric dominance. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.