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Produced by amac education 2018©
Sperry Split Brain Research (1968) ‘Made Simple’
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Input
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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under
Language
Centre
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The participants had the two halves of their brains disconnected (medical
reason: Epilepsy) called a surgical commisectomy.
The apparatus allows visual images or objects placed exclusively onto the
left visual field (which is processed only in the right hemisphere) or onto
the right visual field (which is processed only in the left hemisphere)
There is no communication or sharing of information between the two
hemispheres inside the brain
So quite simply if you present an object into the right visual field the
participant could say what it is (access to language centre on left side)
But if you present the same object to the left visual field, they could not
say what it was (could not access language centre on left side)
The participants were right hand-dominant, where the language centre is
located in the left hemisphere, right eye send information to control left
hand and vice versa and the right-side is superior for visual-motor
coordination
Over to you (remember they were all right-handed):
Object shown in right
visual field, can you
describe what you see
(and why)?
Object shown in left visual
field, describe what can
you see (and why)?
Eyes closed, object placed
in your right hand, can
you identify what you are
holding (and why)?
Eyes closed, object placed
in your left hand, can you
identify what you are
holding (and why)?
Picture in right visual
field, can you draw it with
your right hand (and
why)?
Picture in left visual field,
can you draw it with your
left hand (and why)?
Answers:
Object shown in right
visual field, can you
describe what you see
(and why)?
Yes, can access language centre (left-side
language dominance)
Object shown in left visual
No, cannot access language centre
field, describe what can
you see (and why)?
Eyes closed, object placed
in your right hand, can
you identify what you are
holding (and why)?
Eyes closed, object placed
in your left hand, can you
identify what you are
holding (and why)?
Yes, because all processed-on left-side
No, because no contact with left-side
Picture in right visual
Very poor drawing compared to left-visual
field, can you draw it with field (right-side superior visual-motor task
your right hand (and
ability)
why)?
Picture in left visual field,
can you draw it with your
left hand (and why)?
Clear drawing compared to right-visual field
(supports right-side superior visual-motor
task ability)