With reference ONLY to research that has used the divided visual field paradigm, examine and discuss the different functions of the right and left hemispheres of the human brain.

Question 1

POINTS

Answer 1

1) INTRO
2) ISSUES WITH DVF
3) EMOTION (4/5)
4) SPATIAL ABILITIES (4)
5) LANGUAGE (5)
6) CONC

Question 2

INTRO

Answer 2

1) conventional view (Bradshaw & Nettleton, 1981)
2) specialisation of function (Brown & Kosslyn, 1993)
3) what is DVF
4) issues with DVF (Bourne, 2006)

Question 3

Point 1 – EMOTION (5)

Answer 3

1) Right hemisphere hypothesis (unilateral) -
Torro-Alves et al., (2011)
2) Valence hypothesis (bilateral) - Rodway et al. (2003)
3) modified valence hypothesis - Prete et al. (2015)
4) Pereira et al. (2016) - evidence for “

Question 4

Point 2 – SPATIAL ABILITY (4)

Answer 4

1) Prete et al. (2017) - Healthy participants & a split-brain patient: perf was better when RH
2) Prete et al. (2015) - faces RH lateralised
3) Cattaneo et al. (2014) - face RH lateralised but LH have analytic function

Question 5

Point 3 – LANGUAGE

Answer 5

1) Ibrahim & Eviatar (2012) - varies between langs
2) Baciu et al. (2001) - phonological aspects & semantics DVF normally studies (phono more lat to the LH than semantics
BUT
3) Smolkia & Evitar (2006) – split brain; still perform a simple phonological task when pres to RVF
4) Perrone-Bertolotti et al. (2013) - compared to unilateral hemifield presentation, word processing is more efficient if stimuli were presented under bilateral redundancy conditions
BUT —- right hemisphere in lang
1) Coulson and Wu (2005) - joke comprehension
2) Kacinik & Chiarello (2007) - metaphors

Question 6

Conclusions

Answer 6

• Survival advantages
  a) More efficient for neurons performing one specific cognitive task to be concentrated in one hemisphere
  b) 2 different kinds of cognitive processes may be more readily performed simultaneously if they are lateralised to 2 different hemispheres (MacNeilage et al, 2009)
  c) May boost a pre-existing lateralised function i.e. motor theory of lateralisation: lang is spec in the left bc fine motor skills were already lateralised there
• Is not a case of left brain vs right brain, a lot is shared
• It is cognitive abilities > broad skills that are lateralised if anything