Task 6 Flashcards
Dual-Consciousness
Two separate, independent centers of consciousness, one in each cerebral hemisphere
Contralateral Organization
= the left hemisphere analyzes stimuli and controls actions of the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere does the same for the left side of the body
—> normally sensory information and thoughts are shared between the two hemispheres via the corpus callosum (+ anterior commissure)
–> when the commissures are cut, then sensory inputs and thoughts cannot be transmitted directly from one hemisphere to the other
Visual Pathway
- information from the left visual field is processed in the right cerebral hemisphere (right occipital cortex)
- information from the right visual field is processed in the left cerebral hemisphere (left occipital cortex)
- the optic chiasm transmits the signals coming from the left visual field to the right hemisphere, and does the same for the right visual field
Commissurotomy
= surgical transection (cutting) of the corpus callosum
- purpose: try to control severe epilepsy
- hypothesis: a complete transection of corpus callosum and anterior commissure would prevent the conduction of epileptic seizures between two hemispheres
- no effects on daily lives
T-scope Test (projection tachistoscope test)
Procedure: subjects focused on a dot at the center of the screen, then a visual stimulus (picture or word) was flashed on either the right or the left side of the screen
Results:
- if the picture was flashed in the RVF, subjects correctly named it
- if the picture was flashed in the LVF, they could not name it
Cross-Modal Matching Procedure (T-Scope Test)
If subjects were asked to reach through an opening under the screen and feel several objects with their left hand, then they could select the object that matched the one seen in the LVF
–> the right hemisphere can understand concrete concepts having to do with functional or category relations between objects
Visual-Recognition and Naming Test
Procedure: a picture of a nude female was flashed to the LVF of a female subject
Results:
- the participant giggled and blushed, as if embarrassed
- the right hemisphere initiated an automatic emotional reaction to it –> one based on the patient’s social learning experience
- the speaking left hemisphere tried to interpret the emotional reaction
Left Hemisphere
- superior for verbal and conceptual tasks
- spontaneity behavior
Right Hemisphere
- superior for many nonverbal tasks, particularly visuospatial tasks involving drawing and construction
- copying behavior
- manipulo-spatial superiority
Face Recognition Studies
- Subjects saw a chimeric stimulus flashed on a screen
- They were asked to point to the face that was seen
- Pointing –> whole face that matched the left side of the chimeric face (right hemisphere)
- Verbally responding –> whole face that matched the right side of the chimeric face (left hemisphere)
–> the right hemisphere is better at recognizing similar faces
Visual Completion
Patients subjectively perceived figures as complete when in fact they had seen only half of the figure
–> greatest soon after surgery
–> may decrease over a period of time
John Eccles on the Question of Dual Consciousness
- the left hemisphere is a liaison cortex that transmits knowledge from an immaterial entity, the “self-conscious mind”, which has subjective conscious experience
- language centers receive knowledge from an immaterial consciousness and can make introspective verbal reports about it
Gazzaniga on the Question of Dual Consciousness
- higher-level conscious processes are highly correlated with the presence of linguistic circuits normally found only in the left hemisphere
- IVR is the most useful indicator of consciousness
Roger Sperry on the Question of Dual Consciousness
- consciousness occurs in the right hemisphere, independent of language circuits and introspective verbal reports
- intelligent behavior (behavior adaptive to the current situation and controlled by flexible thought processes rather than reflexes) is sufficient evidence from which to infer consciousness
Emergent Interactionism Theory
consciousness is identified with the holistic properties of neural activity and plays a causal role in controlling behavior