5. Split-Brain Studies

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this lecture, we think about split-brain research and what it can tell us about localisation and lateralisation in the brain, focusing in particular on: (i) what split-brain surgery is and how it can help patients who suffer from severe epilepsy; (ii) the effects of split-brain surgery and how these have been used by Roger Sperry to investigate lateralisation in the brain, including in his divided field study from 1968; (iii) a split-brain study by Turk et al. (2002) which used a face recognition task to suggest that self-recognition and generalised face processing may be localised to different parts of the brain.

Course

In this course, Mr Kevin Silber (University of Derby) explores the anatomy and function of the human brain. In the first lecture, we look at how the brain is structured. In the second lecture, we think about further brain structures, including the limbic system. In the third lecture, we think about the localisation of different functions in particular areas of the brain. Next, we consider the lateralisation of certain brain processes in the two hemispheres. In the fifth lecture, we look at split-brain research. In the sixth and final lecture, we think about brain plasticity and the recovery of brain function after trauma.

Lecturer

Mr Kevin Silber is a senior lecturer at the University of Derby where he primarily teaches biological psychology modules. Mr Silber is also an AQA A-Level examiner and is involved in authoring texts for A-Level psychology. Having started life as a neuroscientist, Mr Silber’s research interests still lie in biologically oriented topics. However, his main research interest is now focused on body image. Some of Mr Silber’s recent publications include ‘Working memory in children: A developmental approach to the phonological coding of pictorial material’ (2011) and ‘Sexual orientation and the sleep-wake cycle: A preliminary investigation’ (2000).