Hemispheric Lateralisation

Question 1

What is meant by Hemispheric lateralisation?

Answer 1

The theory that certain functions are controlled by one hemisphere rather than the other

Question 2

Langauage is not only localised but also… what does this term mean?

Answer 2

Lateralised meaning “to one side”

Question 3

Where is this knowledge derived from?

Answer 3

Case studies of brain damaged patients in the late 1800’s

Question 4

What could and couldn’t the original patient in Broca’s research do?

Answer 4

Could understand other’s speech and follow instructions but could only muster one word: ‘Tan’

Question 5

(Broca’s research) Where was the damage found to be localised and what was the syndrome called?

Answer 5

The base of the LEFT frontal lobe and Expressive Aphasia

Question 6

Differences between left and right hemispheres in terms of thinking?

Answer 6

Left: analytic and logical
Right: Synthetic

Question 7

Differences between left and right hemispheres in terms of information processing?

Answer 7

Left: sequential
Right: holistic

Question 8

Differences between left and right hemispheres in terms of functioning(s)?

Answer 8

Left: verbal and mathematical
Right: Spatial and artistic tasks, perception of body image and facial recognition.

Question 9

What could and couldn’t the original patients of Wernicke’s studies do?

Answer 9

Could not understand speech or follow instructions but could produce fluent (often meaningless speech).

Question 10

(Wernicke’s research) What did the autopsies reveal and what was the syndrome called?

Answer 10

That the patients all had damage to the top LEFT of the temporal lobe and was called Receptive Aphasia.

Question 11

What surgery have Split brain patients undergone and why?

Answer 11

Surgery to cut the Corpus Callosum to relieve symptoms of severe epilepsy.

Question 12

What effect did the spit brain surgery have?

Answer 12

The patients two hemispheres functioned completely separately as independent brains.

Question 13

What is possible to establish when studying split brain patients?

Answer 13

What the functions of each hemisphere are.

Question 14

What is the supporting evidence from Sperry?

Answer 14

Presented split brain patients with stimuli to one hemisphere only.
Word to the left: could not verbalise it
Word to the right: could

Question 15

What does Sperry’s research add validity to?

Answer 15

The idea that language is lateralised to the left hemisphere

Question 16

Why is Sperry’s evidence reliable and why does this make the theory more reliable?

Answer 16

Lab conditions, specialised conditions and standardised procedures e.g images only projected for 1 second to prevent eye movement.
Procedures allow replication of findings
copied findings= reliable theory

Question 17

Why is combining a range of methods a strength?

Answer 17

Quasi ex and Case studies= qualitative and quantitative data = meaning to the findings and statistical analysis = means theory is more likely to be valid

Question 18

The sample is unrepresentative, what are some criticisms of the sample and control group?

Answer 18

small sample size, all male
control was people with no inter hemispheric disconnection = weakens validity valid
cannot be generalised

Question 19

Why do the findings lack ecological validity and mundane realism?

Answer 19

Some people with severed Corpus Callosum and can’t see with both eyes. Split brain patients can compensate.(cont.)

Question 20

(cont) Some psychologists argue that the two hemispheres do not function in isolation but form an integrated system, why?

Answer 20

Every day tasks involve a combo of ‘left’ and ‘right’ skills e.g listening to speech analysing the words and intonation.
meaning that the theory may not be relevant to real life.