split-brain research

Question 1

split-brain research

Answer 1

• split-brain patients = corpus callosum cut in order to prevent epileptic seizures crossing one H to the other
• patients are asked to stare at a dot in the centre of a screen
• then info is presented in either LVF or RVF
• then asked to make responses w/ either LH (right hem) or verbally (RH, left hem)
• w/ out being able to see what their hands are doing
• may be flashed an image of a dog in their RVF + asked what they’ve seen
  = able to answer ‘dog’
  = info has gone into LH
  = where language centres are
• if an image of a cat is shown in LVF + asked what they’ve seen
  = won’t be able to say because the info has gone into RH = no language centres
  = HOWEVER, they can draw a picture of a cat w/ their LH (as right hem controls this hand)

Question 2

HL + scientific - ads of split-brain research

Answer 2

split brain research has enables discoveries of hemispheric lateralisation
experiments on split-brain patients are highly controlled + scientific

Question 3

disads of split-brain research

Answer 3

• drug therapy
• small sample
• artificial

Question 4

drug therapy - disads of split-brain research

Answer 4

• split brain patients have often had drug therapy for their epilepsy for much longer than others
• this may affect the way in which their brain works
  = means the findings of split-brain research cannot be generalised to the target population

Question 5

small sample - disads of split-brain research

Answer 5

many studies using split-brain patients have as few as 3 participants
small sample size = harder for results to be generalised to the target population

Question 6

artificial - disads of split-brain research

Answer 6

• the data from this research is very artificial
• in the real world, a severed corpus callosum can be compensated for by the unrestricted use of both visual fields
  = research lacks validity