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Sperry
(Split Brains)
| Past
exam short questions |
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1 |
From
the study by Sperry on split brains |
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(a) |
Give
one piece of evidence
that illustrates the language limitations of the right hemisphere of
the brain. |
[2] |
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(b) |
Give
one piece of evidence
that illustrates that this same hemisphere is not completely “word
blind”. |
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1996 |
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2 (a) |
In
the study by Sperry, what is meant by the term “split brain”? |
[2] |
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(b) |
Explain
one problem with making
generalisations about normal brain activity from a study if people
with split brains. |
[2] |
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1997 |
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3 (a) |
What
technique did Sperry use to present information to only one side of
the brain? |
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(b) |
Why
does this technique not present a problem to people with
“normal” brains?
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1998 |
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4 |
From
the paper by Sperry on split brain patients, outline the evidence
which indicates that language is processed in the left hemisphere of
the brain. |
[4] |
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1999 |
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5 |
In
the paper by Sperry on split brain patients, he writes, “the
second hemisphere does not know what the first hemisphere has been
doing.” |
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(a) |
Give
one piece of evidence to
support this statement. |
[2] |
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(b) |
Explain
why this problem does not matter in the everyday activity of the
patients in this study. |
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2000 |
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6 (a) |
In
the study by Sperry, why did the patients have their brains cut in
two? |
[2] |
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(b) |
How
were they able to adapt in most everyday situations |
[2] |
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Sample 2000 |
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7 (a) |
From
the study by Sperry, outline the major function of the corpus
collosum |
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(b) |
Sperry
suggested that we effectively have two minds.
Outline one piece of evidence from the study that
shows this. |
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January 2002 |
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8 |
In
the study by Sperry (split brains) patients had problems with
material presented to their left visual field. |
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(a) |
Give
one example of these problems |
[2] |
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(b) |
Suggest
one way in which patients could overcome these problems in
everyday life. |
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January 2002 |
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9 |
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(a) |
From the
slit-brain study by Sperry, if a word such as 'key' was presented
only to the right hemisphere, participants were not able to name it.
Identify how they were able to respond to show that they had seen
the word. |
[2] |
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(b) |
What does this
tell us about how 'normal brains' function? |
[2] |
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May
2002 |
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10 |
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From Sperry's split-brain study, outline one difference between the ability of split-brain patient's and 'normal' people to identify objects by touch alone. |
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| (b) | Give one explanation for this difference | [2] |
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January 2003
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| 11 | Outline two of the tests used by Sperry on split brain patients. | [2] |
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May 2003
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| 12 | From the study by Sperry on split-brains: | |
| (a) | give one piece of evidence that shows the language limitations of the right hemisphere of the brain; | [2] |
| (b) | give one piece of evidence that shows that the right hemisphere is not completely 'word-blind'. | [2] |
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January 2004 |
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13 |
Sperry's split-brain patients had problems with material presented to their left visual field. Give one example of these problems. |
[2] |
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May 2004 |
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| 15 | Describe one problem with generalising from the sample in the split brain study by Sperry. | [2] |
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May 2005 |
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| 16 | Explain why the participants in the study by Sperry had previously undergone an operation to disconnect the two hemispheres of the brain. |
[2] |
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January 2006 |
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| 17 | Sperry, in his study of split brain patients, used an apparatus which allowed information to be sent to the left and right hemispheres of the brain separately (Fig 1.) | |
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(a) From the diagram identify which hemisphere (left or right) the
word 'case' would be projected to. (b) Describe how this apparatus worked |
[2]
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May 2006 |
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| 18 | Explain why in the study by Sperry, the split-brain patients had one eye covered during the visual task. |
[2] |
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January 2007 |
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