Shallice, T.
By comparison with processing domains such as perception, memory and language, the functional architecture of active thought is poorly understood. It is widely accepted that there is some form of fronto-parietal control system that is critically involved, and it is often viewed simply from the context of control per se and/or as involving a hierarchy of systems. I will in addition suggest that there are a number of qualitatively different processing systems localised differently in prefrontal cortex. I will argue that lateralisation effects, in particular, are more salient if investigated using classical neuropsychological procedures than by imaging methods, for instance, using fMRI in normal subjects. I will then develop the contrast between left and right lateral prefrontal processing put forward by Vinod Goel in which he argues that the left is more suited for making ?vertical operations? in well-structured problem spaces with the right being more suited for ?horizontal operations? in ill-structured problem spaces. I will consider, in particular, processes involved in abstraction, the playing of well-structured games, the production of novel strategies and the monitoring of the use of relatively novel procedures.
Ref: Shallice, T. & Cipolotti, L. (In press). Prefrontal cortex and neurological impairments of active thought. Annual Reviews of Psychology