What is split brain research used to show?
How specific hemispheres may be responsible for specific functions
What is the link between the two hemispheres called?
The corpus callosum
What happens if drug treatment doesn’t work for epilepsy?
Surgeons have cut the corpus callosum so that the epilepsy is contained within one hemisphere of the brain
Who did research onto split brain patients?
Roger Sperry
What did Sperry do?
He presented the image to one hemisphere of a split brain patient meant that information could not be conveyed from that hemisphere to the other
What are the key findings of Sperrys research?
- When a picture of an object was shown to patients right visual field, the patient could easily describe what was seen but not in the left visual field
- Patients couldn’t describe what was seen in the left visual field but could get the object from a grab bag
- If they were presented with one word on each side at the same time (key on the left and ring on the right) they would write key but say ring
- The right appeared dominant in terms of recognising faces
What other findings did Sperry find?
- Certain unfamiliar actions can’t be performed but familiar actions can
- In the first few weeks after surgery the hemispheres act separately
- In some patients the hemispheres can communicate
- Some patients compensate for the lack of connectivity by turning their head so both hemispheres can take in the environment
What are two strengths of split brain?
It’s useful in understanding the role of each hemisphere and the experiments use standardised controlled procedures
What are three limitations of split brain?
It has a small sample, some may ha e already received drug therapy and the disconnection between the hemispheres is greater in some people
