This research was designed to investigate hemispheric differences in the production of affective prosody. Models of hemispheric processing of emotion were examined in an extensive review of the literature together with the vast array of procedures and methodologies, which have been employed in their investigation. The two major models which have been advanced are the (i) right hemisphere superiority model, which argues that the right cerebral hemisphere is superior to the left in processing all aspects of emotion, and (ii) the emotional valence model which argues for selective left and right hemisphere processing of emotion according to the affective valence (positive or negative) of the information being processed. These models of hemispheric processing of emotion were the fundamental models that were tested throughout this thesis. A second, but very much related, focus of this thesis was the investigation of the utility of the dual-task paradigm for studying hemispheric processing of emotional stimuli.The first two experiments (Chapter 2) were a preliminary examination of the concept of affective working memory as a means of determining possible fundamental neural pathways for emotion in the brain. These experiments investigated working memory for affective tone of voice and the relationship between articulation rate and affective memory. The findings strongly indicated that working memory for affective tone of voice involved very different processes from other verbal- language components of working memory and the possible neural systems underpinning these processes were advanced. These studies were informative in helping to conceptualise possible fundamental neural systems (cortical and subcortical) involved in emotional processing, but they failed to illuminate in any substantive way the question of preferential hemispheric processing of affect.The next two experiments (Chapter 3) were concerned with establishing the validity of a dual-task apparatus and procedure designed to investigate hemispheric lateralization. The first experiment demonstrated selective left-hand disruption on a specially designed manipulospatial task when performed concurrently with a well substantiated right hemisphere lateralized process - mental rotation. The second experiment demonstrated relative right-hand disruption on a single-finger sequential tapping task when performed concurrently with a well substantiated left hemisphere lateralized process - oral reading. These results established the apparent utility of the purpose- designed dual-task apparatus and procedure.The two experiments reported in Chapter 4 involved testing the impact of different components of prosodic speech on manual performances on the dual-task apparatus. The first experiment examined affective intonation (positive, negative, and neutral) while the second involved a combination of affective intonation and linguistic word stress. The results produced were complex to interpret with persistent, but not always consistent, significant sex differences being demonstrated on the tasks. There was some support for the contention that affective prosody disrupted left-hand performance on the dual-task procedure with males when utilising negative affective intonation.The final two experiments reported in Chapter 5 involved refining and streamlining the apparatus and procedures utilised in the preceding chapter. Only male participants were utilised in these experiments to reduce the apparent effects of sex differences encountered in the previous experiments. The results demonstrated selective left-hand disruption for negative affective intonation but not for positive affect, and selective right-hand disruption for linguistic word stress. These results supported the contention that linguistic and affective prosody are differentially lateralized, though the data did not allow firm conclusions to be reached regarding the competing models of hemispheric processing of affect.Methodological issues and limitations are raised and discussed throughout the thesis with suggestions for improvements as well as for future lines of research.