AO1 - Split Brain Research

• Split brain - Patient have had surgery (normally to treat epilepsy) to cut the area that connects the two hemispheres of the brain (corpus collosum)
• Aim: To investigate the effect of severing the connection between the two hemispheres of the brain (corpus collosum) on functioning
• Method: Natural experiment
• Sample: 11 individuals who had their corpus collosum severed due to surgery
• Procedure:

  • Participants sat infront of a screen while fixating their gaze on a spot in the middle of the screen
  • Participants were presented with information to either their left visual field or right visual field for 1/10th of a second (not enough time to switch focus to the other visual field)
• Results:

  • Objects seen in the RVF can only be named verbally as the image is processed by the language centres in the left side of the brain
  • Objects seen in the LVF can only be identified through pointing or drawing it but cannot be named by the participant
• Conclusion:

  • Two hemispheres of the brain have different abilities and functions but only the left hemisphere can produce language
  • The right hemisphere can only recall and identify information but cannot verbalise this