Hemispheric lateralisation

Question 1

define hemispheric lateralisation

Answer 1

The idea that two halves of the brain are functionally different and that certain mental processes and behaviours are mentally mainly controlled by one hemisphere rather than the other

Question 2

Split- brain studies

Answer 2

Sperry’s studies involved a unique group of individuals who had undergone the same procedure in which the corpus callosum was cut down the middle in order to separate the two hemispheres and control frequent and severe epileptic seizures . Moreover, the main communication line between the two hemispheres were removed. This allowed Sperry and his colleagues to see the extent to which the 2 hemispheres were specialised for certain functions, and whether the hemispheres performed tasks independently of one another.

Question 3

Procedure

Answer 3

Sperry devised a general procedure in which an image or word could be projected to an individual’s right or left visual field. Presenting the image to 1 hemisphere meant that the info could not be conveyed from one hemisphere to the other.

Question 4

Key findings

Answer 4

When a picture of an object was shown to an individual’s right visual field , they could easily describe what they had seen. But if it was shown to the left they could not and typically reported that there was nothing there. Language is processed in the left hemisphere ,thus the individual’s inability to describe the objects in the left visual field (processed in the right h)
Able to select a matching object from a grab bag of diff objects using their left hand