| The present study aimed to gather evidence about the effect of anxiety on cerebral dynamics and to offer evidence about other relevant aspects of brain functioning. The study employs Kinsbourne's (1972) hemispheric asymmetry model to provide further understanding of cognitive processes as manifest in lateral eye movements and lateral head movements. Presuming lateral eye movements signal cerebral lateralization, this study was based on the premise that lateral eye movements made while responding to cognitive tasks indicate cerebral activation of the contralateral hemisphere. The first goal of this study was to inquire into whether people defer into their preferred hemispheric mode, indicated by stereotypic eye movements and head movements, by manipulating the proximity between the experimenter and participant. Participants responded to verbal and spatial questions intended to induce hemispheric activation. Eye movements and head movements were noted to determine activation of the contralateral hemisphere.;The second goal of the study was to examine the interaction between task type (i.e. verbal and spatial questions) and anxiety as manipulated by distance while controlling for eye contact, with the dependent variable being hemispheric activation as indicated by lateral eye movements and lateral head movements. Four experimental conditions were generated by using all combinations of eye contact/no eye contact, and close seating /far seating to manipulate levels of anxiety preparatory to exploring the connection between brain hemisphericity and induced anxiety. |
