M-14. Right hemisphere lateralization of emotional prosody recognition predicts introverted personality in left handers

Male (n = 27) and female (n = 22) right and left handed students performed two dichotic listening tasks to determine lateralization of emotional prosody and melody recognition. There was a right hemisphere advantage for recognition of emotional prosody (p < .01) and melody (p < .05). Personality (as assessed by the Eysenck Personality Inventory) was related to lateralization and handedness. Holding lateralization of melody recognition constant, left handers right lateralized for emotion were introverted (p < .05). Holding lateralization of emotion constant, left handers right lateralized for melody were extraverted (p = .05). These results indicate that personality is differentially related to right hemisphere processing including emotional prosody and melody recognition.