Biopsychology(hemispheric lateralisation)

Question 1

What is hemispheric laterlisation?

Answer 1

hemispheric lateralisation is the idea that the two hemispheres of the brain are functionally different and that certain mental processes are mainly controlled by one hemisphere of the two hemispheres.

Question 2

For example of hemispheric laterilisation - Left hemisphere is usually what dominant?

Answer 2

Research has found the left hemisphere to be language and speech dominant. Broca explored this and found that particular damage in the left hemisphere led to language deficits and yet damage to the same right hemisphere area had no affect on damage of language and speech.

Question 3

For example of hemispheric laterilisation - Right hemisphere is usually what dominant?

Answer 3

Research has found that the right hemisphere is visual and motor tasks dominant.

Question 4

How are the two hemispheres connected so that information from the right hemisphere can be processed through the left hemisphere (vice versa)?

Answer 4

Corpus callosum and bundle of nerve fibers, this allows for the two hemispheres to communicate with each other. (For example if language is located in the left hemisphere the corpus callosum allows things to be said that were experienced in the right hemisphere).

Question 5

Lateralisation has changed with age -

Answer 5

Lateralisation has not appeared to the stay the same through an individuals lifetime. But changes with normal ageing. Lateralised patterns have shown to be more effective and intact in younger years. Zlaflarski found that language became more lateralised to the let hemisphere with increasing age in children, but after the age of 25, lateralisation decreased every decade. Therefore lateralisation of function alters through ageing populations and therefore may not stay intact or efficient forever.

Question 6

Hemispheric lateralisation increases neural processing capacity -

Answer 6

If one hemisphere engages in one particular task this leaves the other hemisphere free to do what it want, despite this assumption this is not true with very little empirical evidence to show this to be an advantage in humans. Rogers found this in chickens though where they could perform 2 tasks simultaneously (finding food and cautious of other predators) therefore it offers some benefit to some organisms but lateralisation enhances brain cognitive tasks in only some from evidence.