A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

What do the findings of Sperry et al (1968) suggest about brain function?

1. Functions are mixed and undifferentiated

2. Functions are lateralized and specialized

3. The brain operates equally across both hemispheres

4. There are no defined roles for each hemisphere

The correct answer is: Functions are lateralized and specialized

The findings of Sperry et al. (1968) provide compelling insights into the lateralization and specialization of brain functions, particularly through their study of patients who underwent split-brain surgery. This procedure, primarily performed to alleviate severe epilepsy, involved severing the corpus callosum, which connects the two hemispheres of the brain. Sperry's experiments demonstrated that each hemisphere is adept at different tasks; for example, the left hemisphere is primarily involved in language processing while the right hemisphere is more engaged in spatial and visual tasks. The patients exhibited distinct behaviors depending on which hemisphere was being stimulated or utilized, highlighting that specific functions are localized to either the left or right hemisphere. This supports the notion that the brain is not only divided into two halves but that these halves perform specialized roles, affirming the idea of lateralization in brain function. Thus, the evidence derived from these studies points towards a model of brain function where there is clear specialization for different cognitive processes located in each hemisphere.