On the reliability and validity of noninvasive laterality measures.

The purpose of the present study was to quantify the reliability and validity of laterality effects obtained with noninvasive measures. A meta-analytic approach was used with 88 significance levels pertaining to reliability data and 11 significance levels concerning the validity of the measures. Results showed that reliability is affected by a number of procedural factors. In general, reliability was found to be at a moderate level. The validity of laterality measures was found to be significant but low. These findings suggest that more empirical work is needed to investigate and to improve the validity and reliability of the tasks used in the assessment of laterality effects. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.