Split-brain research

• What does a 'split-brain' operation involve?

  Severing the corpus callosum
• What is the corpus callosum?

  The area connecting the right and left hemispheres together
• What is split-brain research?

  Studies of how the hemispheres function when they can't communicate
• Who completed split-brain research?

  Sperry
• How many participants did Sperry have?

  11
• Who were the participants in Sperry's research?

  People who'd had a split-brain operation
• What was the procedure in Sperry's research?

  An image was projected to a participant's right and left visual field - which information could not be conveyed between hemispheres
• What did Sperry find?

  When an image was shown to a participant's RVF, they could describe what was seen - couldn't if shown to LVF

  Couldn't give verbal labels to objects in LVF - could select matching object out of sight; left hand also able to select associated object
• What did Sperry conclude?

  Certain functions are lateralised in the brain