AOS 2 - First brain experiments

Question 1

What is ablation?

Answer 1

Irreversible procedure

Surgical removal, destruction, or cutting of a region of brain tissue - then note changes in behaviour

Question 2

What is ablation used for?

2 points

Answer 2

Treat neurological and psychological disorders

Help researchers determine how the brain responds to damage

Question 3

What is brain lesioning?

2 points

Answer 3

Practice of inducing and/or studying the effects of damage to an area of the brain

Damage can be surgically created by a researcher or can be the result of an illness or injury.

Question 4

How has brain lesioning helped us in present day?

2 points

Answer 4

Provided us with valuable knowledge regarding the functions of the brain

Influenced how patients are treated today (stroke deprives the brain of oxygen)

Question 5

What is split-brain experiments?

Answer 5

Involves separating the left and right brain hemispheres by cutting the corpus callosum.

Question 6

Findings of split-brain experiments?

2 points

Answer 6

1. Information that is flashed in the left visual field is sent to the right side of the brain for processing.
2. Information that is flashed in the right visual field is sent to the left side of the brain for processing.

Question 7

Example of a split-brain experiment?

3 points

Answer 7

Sperry and Gazzaniga - 1967

Patients were situated behind a screen with a black dot in the centre on which they focused their eyes

Words and objects were then projected on either the left or right side of the dot