He found that the human brain has specialized functions on the right and left , and that the two sides can operate practically independently. ... Sperry’s work helped chart a map of the brain and opened whole fields of psychological and philosophical questions. Sperry received the Nobel prize in 1981.
What field of psychology did Roger Sperry study?
Roger Wolcott Sperry studied the function of the nervous system in the United States during the twentieth century. He studied split-brain patterns in cats and humans that result from separating the two hemispheres of the brain after cutting the corpus callosum, the bridge between the two hemispheres of the brain.
What type of psychologist is Roger Sperry?
Roger Wolcott Sperry (August 20, 1913 – April 17, 1994) was an American neuropsychologist, neurobiologist and Nobel laureate who, together with David Hunter Hubel and Torsten Nils Wiesel, won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for his work with split-brain research.
How does split-brain research help us?
For several decades, split-brain research has provided valuable insight into the fields of psychology and neuroscience . These studies have progressed our knowledge of hemispheric specialization, language processing, the role of the corpus callosum, cognition, and even human consciousness.
What did Michael Gazzaniga discover?
Dr. Gazzaniga, 71, now a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is best known for a dazzling series of studies that revealed the brain’s split personality, the division of labor between its left and right hemispheres .
What is Roger Sperry best known for?
Psychobiologist Roger Sperry discovered that human beings are of two minds . He found that the human brain has specialized functions on the right and left, and that the two sides can operate practically independently.
What do split-brain patients struggle with?
Since information cannot be directly shared between the two hemispheres, split-brain patients display unusual behaviours, particularly concerning speech and object recognition .
Why was Sperry so interested in split-brain?
Sperry began his research on split-brain in late 1950s to determine the function of the corpus callosum . ... At the time, he knew that each hemisphere of the brain is responsible for movement and vision on the opposite side of the body, so the right hemisphere was responsible for the left eye and vice versa.
Why did Sperry win a Nobel Prize?
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1981 was divided, one half awarded to Roger W. Sperry “ for his discoveries concerning the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres “, the other half jointly to David H. Hubel and Torsten N.
Which psychologist is the most important in psychology and why?
Sigmund Freud
His work supported the belief that not all mental illnesses have physiological causes. He also offered evidence that cultural differences have an impact on psychology and behavior. His work contributed to our understanding of human development, personality, clinical psychology, and abnormal psychology.
How do split-brain patients behave?
Control. In general, split-brained patients behave in a coordinated, purposeful and consistent manner , despite the independent, parallel, usually different and occasionally conflicting processing of the same information from the environment by the two disconnected hemispheres.
Do split-brain patients have two minds?
Instead, the researchers behind the study, led by UvA psychologist Yair Pinto, have found strong evidence showing that despite being characterised by little to no communication between the right and left brain hemispheres, split brain does not cause two independent conscious perceivers in one brain .
Can split-brain patients drive?
Split-brain patients have little difficulty with ‘bimanual’ tasks, and Vicki and at least one other patient are able to drive a car .
What did Gazzaniga do for psychology?
Gazzaniga has led pioneering studies in learning and understanding split brained patients and how their brains work . He has performed numerous studies and done large amounts of research on split brain patients to provide a higher quality understanding into the lives of those affected by this rare phenomenon.
What is Luria theory?
Luria asserted that complex psychological processes have systemic structure and that each form of conscious activity represents a complex functional system and takes place through the concerted working of all three brain units (Luria, 1973).
Who discovered brain plasticity?
The term “neuroplasticity” was first used by Polish neuroscientist Jerzy Konorski in 1948 to describe observed changes in neuronal structure (neurons are the cells that make up our brains), although it wasn’t widely used until the 1960s.
