CS1.

2 SPERRY (1968)
Hemispheric deconnection and unity in
conscious awareness
Unit 2: Psychological Themes through Core
Studies
Biological Area: Classic Study
Key Theme: Regions of the Brain
Core Study Assessment Objectives
• AO1: Knowledge of area/perspective, theory,
background, method, results and conclusions of
the research.
• AO2: Apply knowledge of core study to novel
sources.
• AO3: Evaluate methodological issues of the
procedure.
• AO3: Interpret how the study supports and
challenges positions on areas, issues and debates.
 Theory the Study is Based on
AO1: Brain Areas and Conscious Awareness
• Conscious experiences are experiences that we know we are
having.
• We experience many stimuli that we are not consciously
aware of.
• There has not been found a single part of the brain that
makes us consciously aware.
• It might be that conscious awareness only works when the
whole brain is working together.
• Give an example of a time you are aware of something, but
not consciously aware of something:
 Background to the Study
AO1: Cerebral Hemispheres
• The brain is split into the left and
the right hemispheres (LH / RH).
• The left hemisphere controls the
right side of the body.
• The right hemisphere controls the
left side of the body.
• Lateralisation of function:
different hemispheres have
different roles
 Background to the Study
AO1:Cerebral Hemispheres and the Corpus Callosum
• Information from the left side of your body goes to the RH
first, then spreads to LH.
• Information from the right side of your body goes to the LH
first, then spreads to your RH.
• Corpus Callosum: A large bundle of
nerve fibres that transmit
information between the LH and RH.
• If you touch the back of your left
hand now, the information goes up
your arm and to the right
hemisphere, then the information
goes across the Corpus Callosum
into the left hemisphere.
• Hemispheric disconnection was used to treat
patients with severe epilepsy.
 Background to the Study
AO1: Hemispheric Disconnection
• The severing of the corpus callosum, meaning that
the LH and RH are no longer connected.
• If you had hemispheric disconnection, and
touched you left hand, the information would
only get to your right hemisphere.
• The surgery to have the corpus callosum severed
is called a Commissurotomy.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lmfxQ-HK7Y
 Info can’t travel
across corpus
callosum

No Info in Info in Left

Right Hemisphere
Hemisphere
Tap Right
Shoulder
 Background to the Study
AO1: Visual Fields
• Everything you see to the left of centre is your left
visual field, everything to the right of centre is your
right visual field.
• Both eyes had a LVF and a RVF.
• Close one eye, you can still see to the left and right
of centre.

• BOTH EYES HAVE A LEFT AND RIGHT VISUAL FIELD!!!

AO1: Visual Fields
• Info from the LVF goes to
both the left and right eye.
• Both eyes then send this info
to the RH.
• If you close your left eye, do
you still have information
going to both hemispheres:

• Which hemisphere does

information from the left eye
go to:
 Aim
AO1: Aim
• To study the psychological effects of
hemispheric disconnection in split brain
patients
• To use the results to understand how the right
and left hemispheres work in ’normal’
individuals.
 Sample
AO1: Sample
• 11 participants who had undergone surgery to
sever the corpus callosum.
• Participants were from around the Los Angeles
area in California.
• Was a mix of males and at least one female.
• Opportunistically sampled: patients were put in
contact with Sperry via another doctor.
• Unknown number of ‘normal’ participants.
 Sample
AO1: Sample
• Give a reason why the sample is representative:

• Give a reason the sample is unrepresentative:

 Method
AO1: Research Method
• Quasi lab experiment.
• Comparing participants with hemispheric
deconnection to those who have not undergone
hemispheric deconnection.
– What does quasi mean:

– What does lab mean:

– What does experiment mean:

 Method
AO1: Design and Data
• Experiment Design: Independent measures.
• How was data gathered: combination of self
report and observation.
• Data type: Quantitative and Qualitative
 Method
AO1: Design and Data
• What is meant by:
– Independent measures:

– Quantitative:

– Qualitative:
 Method
AO1: Procedure
• Sperry used a Tachistoscope to control which hemisphere
or hand stimuli would be presented to.
• Two ways information is given to the participants (input):
– Visual (LVF or RVF).
– Tactile (Lhand or Rhand).

• Three ways the information is identified (output):

– Verbally (saying whether you saw it).
– Manual selection (Lhand or Rhand).
– Drawing/Writing (Lhand or Rhand).
 Method
• Tachistoscope: the equipment used by Sperry
in this study.
• A screen that has words/pictures ‘back
projected’ onto it.
• A centre point on the screen the participant is
told to stare at.
• A divider so that participants can touch/pick
up items without being able to see them.
 Method
AO1:Visual tests
• Participant has one eye covered and looks at a fixed
point in the centre of a screen.
• Visual stimuli are projected onto the screen, either to
the L or R VF, for 0.1 seconds.
• The eye only has time to process the image in the visual
field where it was placed.
 Method
AO1: Tactile tests
• Below the screen there was a gap so participants could
reach objects but not see their hands.
• Objects were placed in the participants left or right
hand, or both hands at the same time.
 Method
AO1: Tachistoscope
• Why is it important the tachistoscope hid participants hands:

• How does the tachistoscope make sure visual stimuli is only

show to one hemisphere at a time:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMLzP1VCANo
 Results
AO1: Visual Stimuli Results
• Information presented to the RVF could be described in
speech and writing (with the right hand).
• If the same information is presented to the LVF (RHem), the
participant insisted they either did not see anything or that
there was only a flash of light on the left side i.e. the
information could not be described in speech or writing.
• However, the participant could point with his left hand
(RHem) to a matching item presented among a collection of
items.
• Participants could also draw with their left hand the word
that had been presented in the LVF.
 LVF RVF

Info from
LVF
stimulates
the RH

LH is not aware of RH is aware of

info, so cannot be info, but RH has
verbally identified Info can’t no language
travel across
corpus
callosum.
? KEY
 LVF RVF

Info from
RVF
stimulates
the LH

LH is aware of info,
so can be verbally
identified

Participant
says ‘KEY’
 LEFT HAND RIGHT HAND

Info from L
hand
stimulates
the RH

RH is aware of info, can tell

LH is not aware of L hand to pick up or draw a
info, so cannot pick key, but can’t tell Right
up key with R hand Info can’t hand, or verbally identify it
travel across
corpus
callosum.
? KEY
 Results
AO1: Visual Stimuli Results
• What is surprising about these results:

• How would the normal participant have different

results:
 Results
AO1: Visual Stimuli Results
• Recognition Test: If a projected picture is shown to one
visual field, it is only recognised again if it appears in that
visual field.
• If a picture is shown a second time to a different visual
field, participants do not recall seeing it the first time.
• Why:

• Nude woman: If a nude woman was flashed to the

participants LVF they would blush, but not be able to
explain why they were blushing.
 Results
AO1: Visual Stimuli: Composite Words Results
• Words flashed partly to RVF and partly to LVF, letters
responded to separately, e.g. ‘keycase’ (key = LVF, case
= RVF) the participant will:

• What will participants say they saw:

• What will they manually select with the Left hand:

• What will they draw/write with the Right hand:

 Results
AO1: Tactile Stimuli Results
• Objects placed in right hand can be verbally
identified.
• Object is placed in left hand, participants make wild
guesses and may seem unaware they’re holding
anything, cannot be verbally identified.
• Why is this an example of qualitative data:
 Results
AO1: Dual Processing Results
• If two objects are placed simultaneously in
each hand and then hidden in a pile of
objects, both hands can select their own
object but will ignore the other hand’s objects.
• Participants with hemispheric disconnection
could complete task faster than normal
participants.
 Results
AO1: Key results summary
• Stimuli in RVF could/couldn’t be identified verbally; LVF
could/couldn’t, but could/couldn’t be drawn/written with left
hand.
• During composite words (KEYCASE, $?) the stimuli in the LVF
could/couldn’t be verbally, whilst the stimuli in the RVF
could/couldn’t be verbally identified, but could be drawn with
left/right hand.
• Nude woman in LVF/RVF cause blushes and giggles, but
participant could not say why.
• Performed faster/slower finding two objects simultaneously
compared to normals.
 Conclusions
AO1: Conclusions
• Patients appear to have two independent
streams of consciousness; two minds in one
body.

• What is the difference between the results of a

study and the conclusion of a study:
 Conclusion
AO1: Key Term Theory
• Explain what is meant by:
– Localisation of function:

– Lateralisation of function:

– Role/location of the Corpus callosum:

– Commissurotomy:
 Questions
1. Can pps verbally identify stimuli in the LVF
2. Can pps verbally identify stimuli in the RVF?
3. Which hemisphere controls the right hand?
4. Which hand must you place tactile stimuli in to verbally
identify it?
5. If visual stimuli is shown in the LVF which hand can
participants manually select it with?
6. If visual stimuli is shown in the RVF which hand can
they manually select it with?
7. If a pps is shown visual stimuli in the LVF, and then the
RVF will they recognise it?
 Sperry Knowledge Recap
1. What is lateralisation of function:
2. What is a commissurotomy:
3. What is the role of the corpus callosum:
4. What was the aim of the research:
5. What was the sampling technique:
6. 4 facts about the sample:
7. Name of the apparatus Sperry used:
8. What was the research method/IV/design:
9. Give 4 details about the apparatus:
10. How was visual stimuli presented:
11. How was tacticle stimuli presented:
12. What were the 3 ways participants could identify stimuli:
13. What was the difference between visual stimuli presented in the LVF and the RVF:
14. What happened when a nude woman was presented in the LVF:
15. What happened when participants searched for a different item with each hand:
16. Conclusion of the research: