Publications
Publication details [#17716]
Giora, Rachel, Eran Zaidel, N. Soroker, Gila Batori and Asa Kasher. 2000. Differential Effects of Right- and Left-Hemisphere Damage on Understanding Sarcasm and Metaphor. Metaphor and Symbol 15 (1/2) : 63–83. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Publication type
Article in journal
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
Lawrence Erlbaum
Annotation
Two subtests-Sarcasm Comprehension and Metaphor Comprehension-of Gardner and Brownell's (1986) Right Hemisphere Communication Battery, adapted to Hebrew, were administered to 27 right-brain-damaged (RBD) patients, 31 left-brain-damaged (LBD) patients, and 21 age-matched normal controls. RBD patients tended to score somewhat lower than LBD patients on Sarcasm Comprehension and higher than LBD patients on Metaphor Comprehension. Both patient groups showed a significant impairment in Sarcasm Comprehension relative to normal controls. The difference between RBD patients and normals in Metaphor Comprehension did not reach significance, but there was a significant disadvantage to LBD patients relative to both RBD patients and normal controls. Significant negative correlations between test scores and lesion extent were found for Sarcasm Comprehension in left middle and inferior frontal gyri, and for Metaphor Comprehension in left middle temporal gyrus and the junctional area of the superior temporal and supramarginal gyri on the left. Lesion extent in right hemisphere regions did not correlate with either test performance. The results are interpreted in terms of the recently proposed graded salience hypothesis (Giora, 1997, 1999, in press).