Split Brain^

Question 1

Corpus Callosum

Answer 1

connect LH and RH together
treatment for epilepsy
- excessive firing of electrical impulses between hemispheres
Split the brain, so hemispheres can’t communicate
Do it to see which part of the brain is dominant (supports laternalisation)

Question 2

Sperry’s Research

Answer 2

system to study how split brain patients deal with speech and vision

Procedure- show 2 objects at either visual field, while they look at a fixed point- Findings- RVF: see and descibe- LVF: can’t “nothing there”
: info cant be relayed to the language centres in LH

Participants can’t identify the object in LH
- can identify a matching object out of sight with their left hand

Question 3

Research Support

Answer 3

Luck et al- showed split brain are better then the connected on certain tasks
: spot the odd one out
Kingstone et al
- LH cognitive strategies are reduced by inferior RH
: in neurotypical brain

Question 4

Generalisation Issues

Answer 4

Sperry’s Research
- had control group with neurotypical brains (no epilepsy)
Major confounding variable
- differences between two groups can be due to epilepsy, not split brain

Question 5

Ethical Issues

Answer 5

Sperry’s patients had cut their corpus callosum
- took adv of naturally occuring situation
- part not deliberately harmed
All part were explained and fully consented

Question 6

VS Ethical Issues

Answer 6

trauma of operation = not fully understanding what they agreed to
- multiple tests = stress
- possible the patient felt obligated to continue as they have establised relationship
- learning of deficit under lab tests can’t be easy for some