Hemispheric Lateralisation

• Hemispheric lateralisation AO1

  • theory that certain functions are controlled by one side of brain
  • e.g language is lateralised, performed by 1 hemisphere rather than the other
• Contralateral organisation

  idea that hemispheres control the opposite side of body
• Strengths

  1. even in connected brains, hemispheres process information differently - Fink et al (1996) used brain scans to determine which parts of brain were active during visual/processing tasks. when looking at entire picture given to ps, RH was active. when focussing on image, LH was active suggesting that hemispheric lateralisation is a feature of both connected and split brains
• Strengths 2.0

  • Rodgers et al (2004) showed how lateralised chickens could find food while watching for predators whereas normal chickens couldn't. shows how lateralisation is adaptive, enabling 2 tasks to be performed simultaneously
  • plasticity also seen as adaptive as following damage to brain, some functions can be taken over by non- specialised areas in opposite hemisphere
• Limitations

  1. idea that LH is analyser and RH is synthesiser may be wrong - Nielsen et al (2013) analysed over 1000 brain scans and found no evidence for a dominant side, suggesting notion of right/left brained people may be wrong