Our brain is divided into two hemispheres – left and right, and two hemispheres are connected and work together. However, the brain function lateralization is evident, though it should not be taken as absolute. For instance, simultaneous processing of visual and audio logical stimuli, spatial manipulation, facial perception, and artistic ability are lateralized to the right brain, while linear reasoning and language functions, such as grammar, vocabulary and literal often are lateralized to the left brain.
Hemispheric dominance is genetically determined but it is subject to external influences. Research has established that during fetal, neonatal and infant development, the role of the right brain is more profound. For instance, language in the neonate and infant is dominated by the right brain, which accounts for initial prosodic, melodic, and emotional qualities of their vocalizations. Experiments on infants speech perception shows that as young as 1 month, infants display categorical perception of speech, and at the age of 6 months infants demonstrate statistical learning ability, and can automatically pick up and learn things from the statistical regularities that exist in the stream of sensory information, such as to extract meaningful distinctions in the language they are exposed to from statistical properties of that language. The research on The right brain hemisphere is dominant in human infants by Catherine Chiron et al confirmed that the right hemispheric predominance in human infants is up to 3 years of age, at which time left brain dominance begins to develop gradually.
Though the left brain is still regarded as the dominant hemisphere for language, the neuroscience has discovered that right brain has profound functional abilities that can maximum language acquisition. Simon McCrea suggested in his comprehensive literature review Intuition, insight, and the right hemisphere: Emergence of higher sociocognitive functions that the unique structure of well-developed archetypal neural network of right brain functions – ‘intuition’ and ‘insight’ would facilitate evolutionarily genetic dispersal as well as enable cross-linguistic fluency. In fact, the right brain is able to perform some sophisticated perceptual functions that the left hemisphere cannot. For instance, visual statistical learning, which activates predominantly in right brain, reflects implicit learning (subconscious) rather than explicit (conscious) learning, which results in long-term implicit memory. In fact, the right brain provides the ability to go far beyond the literal meanings of words and employs multiple processes to do so. The left brain learns in a conscious, logical, methodical way, while right brain learns in a subconscious, creative, intuitive way. The right brain, like a sponge, soaks up multi-dimensional images in every split-second without confusion. The photographic memory processed at the right brain can be recalled at anytime without error. The early childhood education enables children to learn effortlessly, efficiently and creatively with the gift of the right brain.