HEMISPHERIC LATERALISATION AND SPLIT BRAIN

Question 1

● What is hemispheric lateralisation?

Answer 1

The idea that the two hemispheres are responsible for different functions

Question 2

● Which hemisphere controls the right side of the body?

Answer 2

Left hemisphere

Question 3

● Which hemisphere controls the left side of the body?

Answer 3

Right hemisphere

Question 4

● What part of the brain connects the two hemispheres?

Answer 4

Corpus callosum

Question 5

● What is the left hemisphere responsible for?

Answer 5

Language

Question 6

● What is the right hemisphere responsible for?

Answer 6

Recognition and creativity

Question 7

● What is contralateral wiring?

Answer 7

Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body

Question 8

● What research method was used in split brain research?

Answer 8

Natural experiment

Question 9

● What is the function of Broca’s area?

Answer 9

Speech production

Question 10

● What is the function of Wernicke’s area?

Answer 10

Understanding language

Question 11

▲ What happened when split brain patients were shown objects in the right visual field?

Answer 11

They could name it verbally/write it with right hand

Question 12

▲ What happened when split brain patients were shown objects in the left visual field?

Answer 12

They could not name it verbally, only recognise via pointing or by drawing with left hand

Question 13

▲ How do split brain patients respond to objects seen in the left visual field?

Answer 13

They can draw or point to the object

Question 14

▲ What task did Sperry use in split brain research?

Answer 14

Visual recognition tasks using visual fields

Question 15

▲ What did Hellige et al. (1993) investigate?

Answer 15

Whether hemispheres are specialised for verbal or spatial tasks

Question 16

▲ How were stimuli presented in Hellige et al.’s research?

Answer 16

To either the left or right visual field

Question 17

▲ What did Hellige et al. find about verbal tasks?

Answer 17

More accurate when processed by the left hemisphere

Question 18

▲ What did Hellige et al. find about spatial tasks?

Answer 18

More efficient when processed by the right hemisphere

Question 19

▲ What was the sample in Sperry’s research?

Answer 19

11 split brain patients

Question 20

▲ What is the result of cutting the corpus callosum?

Answer 20

The two hemispheres act independently

Question 21

✪ How does Hellige et al.’s research support hemispheric lateralisation?

Answer 21

It shows faster and more accurate processing when tasks are presented to the specialised hemisphere

Question 22

✪ How does EB’s case study challenge hemispheric lateralisation?

Answer 22

EB regained language abilities after removal of his left hemisphere, suggesting language is not fully lateralised

Question 23

✪ Why might Sperry’s research lack internal validity?

Answer 23

Degree of disconnection varied among patients, affecting ability to generalise findings

Question 24

✪ How does Sperry’s research demonstrate that language is lateralised?

Answer 24

Patients could only verbalise stimuli presented to the right visual field processed by the left hemisphere

Question 25

✪ What methodological strength increases the validity of Sperry’s findings?

Answer 25

Controlled setting

Question 26

✪ What is a major confounding variable in split brain research?

Answer 26

Epilepsy may have caused unique changes in the brain

Question 27

✪ Why does split brain research lack population validity?

Answer 27

It is based on a small, unique sample with severe brain abnormalities

Question 28

✪ How does split brain research support the theory of separate hemispheric functions?

Answer 28

Each hemisphere performs specific roles, e.g. language or recognition

Question 29

✪ Why might hemispheric lateralisation be an oversimplification?

Answer 29

As people age, the hemispheres show more integrated and holistic functioning

Question 30

✪ What does the case of EB suggest about plasticity in the brain?

Answer 30

Other areas can take over language functions, indicating adaptability

Question 31

● What happens when the corpus callosum is cut?

Answer 31

The hemispheres cannot communicate

Question 32

● What type of visual information does the left hemisphere process?

Answer 32

Information going into the right visual field

Question 33

● What hemisphere processes spatial tasks better?

Answer 33

Right hemisphere

Question 34

● What hemisphere processes verbal tasks better?

Answer 34

Left hemisphere

Question 35

● Who conducted key research into split brain patients?

Answer 35

Sperry

Question 36

▲ Why can split brain patients not verbalise left visual field information?

Answer 36

Right hemisphere has no language centres

Question 37

▲ What type of tasks did participants complete in split brain studies?

Answer 37

Visual recognition tasks

Question 38

▲ Why are verbal tasks linked to the left hemisphere?

Answer 38

Because they are language tasks and therefore will be processed by Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas

Question 39

▲ What is a common effect of severing the corpus callosum?

Answer 39

Hemisphere disconnection

Question 40

▲ How did participants respond to images in the left visual field in sperrys study?

Answer 40

They could draw or recognise through pointing, but not name

Question 41

✪ How does brain plasticity contradict the concept of fixed lateralisation?

Answer 41

Other brain areas can compensate/take over the role of damaged regions

Question 42

✪ What does the EB case study imply about lateralisation in typical populations?

Answer 42

It may not generalise, as EB’s brain adapted uniquely

Question 43

✪ What argument suggests lateralisation might not apply across all ages?

Answer 43

Older adults show more holistic brain functioning

Question 44

✪ Why is it hard to establish cause-effect in split brain studies?

Answer 44

Epilepsy may have influenced results independently of split brain status

Question 45

✪ How does Sperry’s finding that only the left hemisphere produces language support lateralisation?

Answer 45

It confirms that specific hemispheres are responsible for specific functions