Lateralisation of Function

Question 1

Name the area of the brain that connects the two hemispheres.

Answer 1

Corpus Collosum

Question 2

Define contralateral control.

Answer 2

the idea that the left hemisphere control the right side of the body and vise versa.

Question 3

What did Sperry and Gazzaniga study?

Answer 3

Sperry and Gazzaniga studies patients with a severed corpus callosum. Either from surgery or injury.

Question 4

What did Sperry and Gazzaniga find?

Answer 4

Describe what you see:
-Right visual field, able to describe.
-Left visual field, unable to identify any image.

Tactile test:
-Placed in the right hand, able to describe what they felt.
-Placed in the left hand, could only make wild guesses.

Drawing tasks:
-Right visual field, drawings were clearer with the left hand.
-Left visual field, drawings were clearer with the left hand.

Question 5

What can be concluded from Sperry and Gazzaniga’s findings?

Answer 5

-The left hemisphere is dominant for speech and language.
-The right is dominant regarding visual-motor tasks.
-The two hemispheres are specialised.

Question 6

Give an advantage of lateralisation of function.

Answer 6

+High practical validity.
Sperry’s findings demonstrate the impact of treatment for epilepsy, it is useful for weighing the risks and benefits of treatment.

Question 7

Give a disadvantage of lateralisation of function.

Answer 7

-Findings question the principle of lateralisation.
Szaflarski suggested lateralisation becomes more profound with age.

-Language may not be restricted to the left hemisphere.
Turk, JW suffered damage to the left hemisphere but he developed an ability to speak using the right hemisphere. this challenged the accuracy of this theory.