Lateralisation and split-brain research

Question 1

Hemispheric lateralisation

Answer 1

The idea that the two hemispheres of the brain specialise in different functions

Question 2

The two hemispheres

Answer 2

The left hemisphere is dominant in language and speech
The right hemisphere excels at visual motor tasks
The corpus callosum (a bundle of nerve fibres that connect the two halves) allows information received from one hemisphere to be sent to the other hemisphere

Question 3

Sperry and Gazzaniga’s split brain research

Answer 3

Used participants who’s corpus callosum had been severed in a surgical procedure which had been designed to stop epileptic fits
Able to send visual information to just one hemisphere at a time in order to study hemisphere lateralisation
Took advantage of the fact that information from the left visual field goes to the right hemisphere and information from the right visual field goes to the left hemisphere