Abstract

The authors examined the hemispheric asymmetry of level of processing(LoP) effect in implicit and explicit memory test by using divided-visual-fieid method. Within-modality priming for words (Exp. 1) was greater at both perceptual and semantic encoding conditions when test stimuli were presented initially to the right cerebral hemisphere (RH), and LoP effect was observed only at left cerebral hemisphere (LH) presentation. In contrast, cross-modality priming with visual imaging at perceptual encoding (Exp. 2) showed no RH advantage at both encoding conditions, and showed no LoP effect at both hemispheric presentations. But, in both modality conditions, explicit memory showed no RH advantage, and showed equivalent LoP effect at both hemispheric presentations. Results support the distinction of form-specific representation system that is more effective in the RH and abstract form representation system that is not more effective in the RH (Marsolek et al., 1992), and suggest that the perceptual mechanisms underlying priming include data-driven processing and lexical processing.