Lateralisation and split-brain research Flashcards
What does the term brain laternalisation refer to?
The fact that the two halves of the human brain are not exactly alike.
What does each hemisphere have?
Functional specialisations
What has research found about the left hemisphere?
It is dominant for language and speech
What has research found about the right hemisphere?
Visual-motor tasks
What did Paul Broca establish?
- Damage in a particular area of the left brain hemisphere led to language deficit
- However damage to the right hemisphere did not have the same consequence
How is information passed between the two hemispheres?
Connecting bundles of nerve fibres such as corpus callosum
How did the chance to investigate the different abilities of the two hemispheres come about?
A treatment for severe epilepsy
- Surgeons cut the bundle of nerve fibres that formed the corpus callosum
What did Sperry and Gazzaniga study?
The capabilities of split-brain patients
What is hemispheric lateralisation?
Refers to the fact that some mental processes in the brain are mainly specialised to either the left or right hemisphere
Where does information from the left visual field go?
Right hemisphere
Where does information from the right visual field go?
Left hemisphere
What happened in a typical study?
- Split brain patient would fixate on a dor in the centre of a screen while information was presented to either L or R visual field
- They were asked to respond with either left hand or right hand or verbally (unable to see hands)
What have we learned from split brain research?
- Left hemisphere is responsible for speech and language
- Right hemisphere specialises in visual-spatial processing and facial recognition
- However, not shown that the brain is organised into discrete regions
