Categorical Perception of Color is Restricted to the Right Visual Field in Korean Speakers Who Maintain Central Fixation

Abstract

A previous study (Roberson, Pak & Hanley, 2008) demonstrated that Korean (but not English) speakers show Categorical Perception (CP) on a visual search task for a boundary between two Korean colour categories that is not marked in English. Moreover, fast Korean responders showed CP only in the right visual field while slow responders showed CP in both visual fields. The present study used eye-tracking to demonstrate that those responders who maintained fixation on a central point showed CP only in the right visual field. Responders who moved their eyes to search for targets showed the effect in both visual fields. These results support that CP in this task is mediated by processing in the left hemisphere.