Localization of Brain Functions and the Sperry & Gazzaniga Study

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about brain localization, including key theories and the findings of the Sperry ($$1968$$) and Gazzaniga ($$1967$$) split-brain research.

Localization of function

The theory that certain areas of the brain are responsible for certain psychological functions.

Strict localization

The idea that there is a clear correspondence between psychological functions and brain areas, where all functions can be clearly mapped onto the brain.

Weak localization

The idea that one brain area may be responsible for a function but not exclusively, and other areas may also take over that function.

Sperry $1968$ and Gazzaniga $1967$

Research aiming to investigate how the two hemispheres function independently when the connection between them is severed, involving $4$ epilepsy patients.

Corpse callosum

The connection between the two brain hemispheres that was surgically cut as a novel treatment for epilepsy in the four patients studied by Sperry and Gazzaniga.

One tenth of a second

The duration ($1/10$ of a second) for which stimuli were flashed on the board to ensure they were presented to only one hemisphere.

Left hemisphere

The area where language is localized; in the study, participants could not describe objects shown to the right hemisphere because language production is confined here.

Weak localization of language comprehension

The finding that language comprehension may be a function of both hemispheres, evidenced by participants picking a pencil when the word was flashed to the right hemisphere.

Rudimentary language production

A function that may be present in the right hemisphere in some individuals, such as the participant who spelled the word love with plastic letters using his left hand.