Hemispheric lateralisation: split brain research

Question 1

what is lateralisation

Answer 1

the idea that the two halves of the human brain are not exactly alike

Question 2

what are the two hemispheres joined by

Answer 2

corpus callosum

Question 3

what does the corpus callosum do

Answer 3

allow each side of the brain to communicate with eachother

Question 4

what does the left hemisphere control

Answer 4

language and speech

Question 5

what does the right hemisphere do

Answer 5

deals with visual and spatial tasks

Question 6

where does the left visual field send information to

Answer 6

right brain

Question 7

where does the right visual field send information to

Answer 7

left brain

Question 8

What is the conclusion of sperrys split brain research

Answer 8

shows the two hemispheres are different - right specialises in visual tasks and left controls speech and language

Question 9

procedure of sperrys research

Answer 9

11 split-brain individuals were studied using a special set up in which an image or word could be projected to a participant’s RVF (processed by the LH) and the same, or different, image could be projected to the LVF (processed by the RH)

• in a normal brain the corpus callosum would share the information

Question 10

findings of sperrys research

Answer 10

When a picture of an object was shown to a participant’s RVF, the participant could describe what was seen. But they could not do this if the object was shown to the LVF (RH) — they said there was ‘nothing there’. This is because, in the normal brain, messages from the RH are relayed to the language centres in the LH, but this is not possible in the split-brai

Question 11

evaluation of sperrys research into hemispheric lateralisation

Answer 11

can’t be generalised - turk et al found that a patient learnt to speak out of their right hemisphere

Question 12

What is maguires research into brain plasticity

Answer 12

studied the brains of london taxi drivers
- structural MRI scans
- 16 right handed make london taxi drivers that had been driving for more than 1.5 years
- scans of healthy right handed males were included for comparison

Question 13

finding of maguires research

Answer 13

more volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus which is associated with the development of navigational skills in humans

Question 14

A03 of maguires study

Answer 14

can’t be generalised - all males
reliable - used scientific procedures
can be applied to real world
low population validity