Differential Aspects of Attention in Brain-Damaged Persons

Abstract

34 right hemiplegic (RH) patients were compared with 35 left hemiplegic (LH) patients on a test battery of attention measures in visual and auditory modalities. Results indicate: (a) RHs were superior in visual cancellation tasks, (b) LHs were superior in auditory cancellation tasks, (c) LHs were superior in auditory digit span and visual digit span, and (d) both were the same on a test of auditory visual equivalence. Findings suggest that attention is not a unitary phenomenon. Different facets of attention appear to be impaired, depending on the type of hemiplegia and the type of task.