hemispheric lateralisation and split-brain research

Question 1

hemispheric lateralisation

Answer 1

the 2 halves of the brain are functionally different

Question 2

what hemisphere is language controlled by

Answer 2

left

Question 3

what hemisphere is facial recognition controlled by

Answer 3

right

Question 4

contralateral

Answer 4

in the motor area, the RH controls the Left side of the body
vice versa

Question 5

corpus callosum

Answer 5

the 2 hemispheres are connected by the CC - this allows information received from one hemisphere to be sent to the other hemisphere

Question 6

split brain research - treatment for severe epilepsy

Answer 6

cut through the bundle of nerve fibres that formed the corpus callosum

aim: to prevent the violent electrical activity that accompanies epileptic seizures crossing from one hemisphere to the other

Question 7

split brain research - Sperry

Answer 7

11 split brain partiicpanst (had hasd their corpus callosum severed)
image or word presneted to RVF (processed by LH) and the same or different image coud be projected to LVF (processed by RH)
presenting info to one hemisphere meant info couldnt be conveyed from that hemisphere to another
object shown to RVF - ppt could describe it (language centre is in LH)

objectc shown to LVF - cannot name object (no language centres in RH) but can select object simialr

Question 8

split brain research - Sperry - conclusion

Answer 8

demonstrates how certain functions are lateralised in the brain and shows that the left hemisphere is verbal and the right hemisphere is ‘silent’ but emotional

Question 9

split brain research AO3 - strength is evidence of lateralised brain functions in ‘normal brains’.

Answer 9

E - PET scans shown when ‘normal’ participants attend to global elements of an image, the RH is more active. When required to focus on finer detail the specific areas of the LH tend to dominate
E - this suggests that hemispheric lateralisation is a feature of the normal brain as well as split-brain

Question 10

split brain research AO3 - strength is support from more recent split-brain studies

Answer 10

E - Luck et al showed that split-brain participants are better than normal controls. In the normal brain, the LH’s superior processing abilities are ‘watered down’ by the inferior RH
E - this supports Sperry’s earlier findings that the ‘left brain’ and ‘right brain’ are distinct in terms of functions and abilities

Question 11

split brain research AO3 - limitation is that casual relationship are hard to establish

Answer 11

E - in Sperry’s research the behaviour of split-brain participants was compared to a neurotypical control group. However, none of the control group had epilepsy. Any differences between the groups may be due to epilepsy no the split-brain (a confounding variable).
E - this means that some of the unique features of the split-brain participants cognitive abilities might have been due to their epilepsy.