9. Split-brain Research Into Hemispheric Lateralisation AO1 Flashcards
What is hemispheric lateralisation?
Concerns behaviour controlled by just one hemisphere e.g. language is usually controlled by the left hemisphere
What does split brain research involve?
A unique group of individuals
Who conducted split-brain studies?
Sperry
What did Sperry do?
He sought to demonstrate that the two hemispheres were specialised for certain functions and could perform tasks independently
What are the hemispheres usually connected by?
The corpus callous, and a few other structures
What is a commissurotomy?
An operation to cut the corpus callosum
What is a commissurotomy sometimes used for?
Sometimes performed to control seizures
Who did Sperry study?
A group of epileptic people who had undergone the surgery
What did Sperry do to test his patients?
Image or word is projected to a patient’s right visual field and another to the left
Where is information from the RVF processed?
Left hemisphere
What occurs in a normal brain when participating in Sperry’s study?
The corpus callosum ‘shares’ information between both hemispheres
What occurs in a split brain patients when participating in Sperry’s study?
The information cannot be conveyed from the chosen hemisphere to the other
Outline how split-brain patients see things shown to each visual field:
RVF –> patient easily describes what is seen
LBF –> patient says there is nothing there
What can’t split brain patients do when they are shown an object in the LVF?
Can’t describe LVF because RH usually lacks language centres
What could split brain patients do despite not being able to name the object they were shown?
They could select an object matching or associated with the original objects that was presented to the LVF
