Split brain reserach

Question 1

Define contralateral

Answer 1

Each hemisphere of the brain controls the opposite side of the body

Question 2

What is the corpus callosum

Answer 2

A thick bundle of 200-300 million myelinated nerve fibres allowing for quick communication between each hemisphere

Question 3

What led to the research of split brain patients

Answer 3

Paitients that had thier corpus callosum cut -isolating each hemisphere from the other- reduced epileptic sympotoms and it had few side effects however unusal behaviour and a sense of a loss of agency(feeling of control) led to the research

Question 4

Sperry 1968

Answer 4

Conducted a quasi experiment comparing 11 patients who had undergone corepus callostomy using equipment that would project iunformation to each visual fiewld sperrry controlled the information that each emispher had access to. in a series of tests partciipants whould be required to either say what they had seen, draw the objevt or selcetr objects that were hidden from vuew with their hands. sperryu found that informartiom presented to the left hemspjhere could draw or selct the object by using the left hand suggesting the hemisphere are both capable iof acting indpeendetly also supporting that theory that lkanugae cnetres are in the left side of tej brian

Gazzaniga(1983) found that when each hemisoere of splut btrin paiteinets were presented with faces the right hemishphere wa smuch more able to recognise them suggesting that the roight hemisphere os specialised for facial rwcgonition

Question 5

Evaluations cons:

Answer 5

The sample used was small and you cnnot generalise the findings on the rest of the population as their brains mayve been abnormal also the comparison group in sperrys reserahc were not people who had history with epeleptic fits so the comparison is invalid

The paitets used did no have the same level of disconnetion betwen hemisphere which coyuldve reuslted in more comunciation between hemiphere then suggested

His paitents had undergone durg therapies which couldve ingluced results

The tasks used lacked mundane realims reulsitng in low external validity as the ffects only show up in highly artificial situations

Question 6

Evaluations pros

Answer 6

Reserach on split brain paiteints has had a fiuncadmental impact on tgh epsychloigsl and philospical undertandifn of both the unitty of consciousness and identity suggesting that the brain is a combination of separate intelligent processes woring togther