Roger Sperry · 1960
Split-Brain Experiment
Two minds in one body? Patients with severed corpus callosum revealed left and right brains have different "wills".
Methodology
Context:
• Severed corpus callosum to treat epilepsy
Method:
• Stare at center dot
• Flash word/image to Left Field (Right Brain)
• Flash to Right Field (Left Brain)
• Ask what they saw or pick up object
Findings
Findings:
Language:
• Right Field "Apple" → Says "Apple"
• Left Field "Apple" → Says "Saw nothing" but Left Hand picks up Apple
Alien Hand Syndrome:
• Left hand tries to choke wife, Right hand stops it
• One buttons shirt, other unbuttons
Function:
• Left Hand (Right Brain): Better at 3D drawing
Significance
Nobel Prize 1981
Revealed:
• Left: Language, Logic, Analysis
• Right: Space, Face, Emotion
• Normal brains integrate both seamlessly
️ Caution:
• "Left/Right Brained Person" is a myth/exaggeration