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What is lateralisation?
The idea that the two halves of the brain each have a functional specialisation.
What is the left hemisphere dominant in?
Language
What is the right hemisphere dominant in?
Visual Motor Tasks
What is contralaterlisation?
The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body and vice versa, this is how the brain and body work.
What connects the two hemispheres of the brain?
Corpus callosum - nerve fibres
What is the role of the corpus callosum?
Facilitates interhemispheric communication
What researchers conducted Split-Brain studies?
Sperry and Gazzaniga (1967)
What is the Split-Brain procedure used to treat?
Severe epilepsy
Where is information from the Left Visual Field processed?
The right hemisphere
Where is information from the right visual field processed?
The left hemisphere
What occurs in split-brain patients when information is presented to only one hemisphere?
The information cannot be transferred to the other hemisphere.
What were Sperry and Gazzaniga’s three tests?
Describe what you see
Tactile test
Drawing task
What was the ‘describe what you see’ task?
The patient had to focus on a dot in the middle of the screen, a picture was presented to the LVF or RVF for 1/10th of a second, they then had to describe what they had seen.
What happened when pictures were presented to the RVF?
Patients could describe what they saw - showing superiority of the left hemisphere in language production.
What happened when pictures were presented to the LVF?
Patients could not describe what was shown and often reported that nothing was present.
What was the tactile test?
An object (key) was placed in the patients left or right hand (which they couldn’t see), they had to describe what they felt then select a similar object from a series of alternate objects.
What happened when objects were placed in the right hand?
Patients could describe/identify what they felt and could find the similar object - this is because once they identify the object the sound goes into the left ear and so can be processed by the right hemisphere.
What happened when objects were placed in the left hand?
The patient was unable to describe what they felt but they could identify the similar objects as the information is processed in the right hemisphere.
What was the drawing task?
Participants presented with a picture in the LVF or RVF then had to draw what they saw.
What happened when the picture to draw was presented to the RVF?
The right hand would attempt to draw but the left hand was always clearer - showing superiority of right hemisphere for visual motor tasks.
What happened when the picture to draw was presented to the LVF?
The left hand would draw clearer pictures than the right hand even though all participants were right-handed - shows superiority of the right hemisphere for visual motor tasks.
How is research by Rogers et al (2004) a strength of split-brain research?
Shows how having each hemisphere be able to do different functions simultaneously enhances the efficiency of the brain in cognitive tasks.
What is a limitation of Roger et al (2004) research?
It is an animal study as split-brain patients are very rare so the research is idiographic and not generalisable to all split-brain patients.
What is meant by the term ‘idiographic’?
Looking at an individual not general group.
What is a strength of split-brain research being scientific?
The conditions are highly controlled and standardised e.g. ensuring pictures are only processed in the LVF or RVF, making the results more reliable.
How are individual differences a limitation of split-brain research?
There were differences in the extent of the split of the corpus callosum. Also, as the participants all previously had epilepsy they may have differing damage to brain functioning.
How is research by Szaflarki et al (2006) a limitation of split-brain research?
It shows how lateralisation is not fixed as dominance of a hemispheres function decreases with age.
How is research by Turk et al (2002) a limitation of split-brain research?
Patient J.W. suffered damage to the left hemisphere but then developed the ability to speak in the right hemisphere, showing the brain’s plasticity which indicates that lateralised functions are not fixed to one hemisphere as the brain adapts to damage.
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