Sperry - Biological area Flashcards
What did Sperry’s other research on humans and monkeys who had a split-brain show?
BACKGROUND
Animals/Humans who had undergone surgical section of the corpus callosum suggested the behaviour effects of this surgery may be less severe than other forms of cerebral surgery e.g frontal lobotomy
Are the right and left hemisphere mirror images of each other
THEORIES
Yes
BUT there are distinct areas dealing with speech production and comprehension
(Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, respectively) showing their functional localisation
What are Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area? (2)
THEORIES
- Wernicke’s area is the region of the brain that is important for language development
- Broca’s area is related to the production of speech.
What is functional lateralisation
THEORIES
The view that functions are performed by distinct regions of the brain
What side of the brain are Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area found in?
THEORIES
The left hemisphere
Where do areas in the right hemisphere receive information from?
THEORIES
The left side of the body
What is the right hemisphere concerned with?
THEORIES
activities in the left side of the body and vice versa
Where would information received by the Right visual field go to? which hemisphere and what side of the body? (3)
THEORIES
- RVF
- LH
- Right hand/body
What was the aim of Sperry’s study?
He set out in his study___
Each ____ possesses
Has____
- Sperry set out in this study, using split brain patients to show that
- Each hemisphere possesses an independent stream of conscious awareness
- Has its own separate chain of memories that are inaccessible to the other
What was the hypothesis?
The hypothesis is that split brain patients perform differently from individuals without a split brain
What was the experimental method?
RESEARCH METHOD
Quasi experiment
What did this controlled observation allow researcher’s to investigate?
RESEARCH METHOD
Controlled observation of split-brain patients to investigate behavioural symptoms resulting from hemisphere deconnection
Was this study a snapshot or longitudinal study?
RESEARCH METHOD
Snapshot study
What could this study also be classed as?
RESEARCH METHOD
A series of clinical case studies
What was the IV?
RESEARCH METHOD
Presence or absence of Split brain
What was the DV?
RESEARCH METHOD
The participants performance on various visual and tactile tasks
How many patients were used?
SAMPLE
11 split brain patients
What had these patients undergone
SAMPLE
Undergone ‘an extensive midline section of the cerebral commissures to control severe epileptic convulsions not controlled by medication’
Where were they from?
SAMPLE
LA, America
What were the patients experiencing before the surgery? (2)
SAMPLE
Experienced severe epileptic seizures
that could not be controlled by medication
What is a split-brain operation (commissurotomy)? (4) what is the result?
SAMPLE
- It is a possible remedy for severe epilepsy
- It involves cutting through the most of or all of the cerebral commissures that connect the left and right hemisphere of the brain
- (corpus callosum and some other structures)
- Result = no communication is possible between the left and right hemisphere
Who was the first patient? (2)
SAMPLE
- Male
- Had his surgery more than 5 and a half years before the study was conducted
Who was the second patient? (3)
SAMPLE
- Mother
- 30 yr old
- Surgery more than 4yrs before
Who were the other patients? (2)
SAMPLE
- 9 other patients
- They had their surgery at varying times but not long before the study was conducted
