Scientific advancements have allowed psychologists to make revolutionary discoveries over time. The brain is one of the most enigmatic organs in the human body. However, scientists have not been deterred in the efforts to try and understand how it functions and influences human behavior. Perhaps one of the most influential studies was by Sperry and Gazzaniga on the split brain phenomenon. The researchers were interested in determining if the hemispheres of the brain can function independently. Their findings changed how psychologists looked at the human brain and influenced further studies. The paper will compare the findings of Sperry and Gazzaniga with a more recent application of the split brain phenomenon to show how far research on the brain has come since the groundbreaking study was completed.
Summary
Scientist have made deliberate efforts to determine if the brain is a unified organ, given that it has two hemispheres with distinct functions. Despite the differences between the two hemispheres, they are in constant communication through the connection of the corpus callosum. Psychologists were curious on how the brain functions. It is the research by Sperry and Gazzaniga that shed light into the workings of the brain and opened up new doors to understanding the enigmatic organ. The two scientists analyzed hemispheric lateralization using split brain patients. These were individuals who had undergone a surgical procedure that cuts the corpus callosum. According to the scientists, a split brain refers to a situation where each hemisphere is able to learn even after the two hemispheres have been delinked. One hemisphere is not aware what the other has learned since they are no longer connected. The experiments involved people who had already received the corpus callosum surgeries to treat severe epilepsy. The disease is caused when there is excessive signaling of the never cells. The procedure ensured that the excessive signals were not transmitted to the other parts of the brain. The patients were able to live a relatively normal life after the surgery ( Hock, 2015) . The research involved 11 patients with split brains. Since they had advanced epilepsy, they underwent hemisphere disconnection to control the disease since medication was no longer effective. The method used in the research was quasi experiment which compared the performance of the 11 participants in different tasks. Sperry ingeniously used different tasks to determine the effect of separation on brain function. The tasks were set separately for the two hemispheres. The tasks were standardized and involved specialized equipment to determine the impact of the tests on the human brain ( Hock, 2015) . For example, the participants were shown one picture using one eye. It was later switched to the other. The participants stated that the image appeared to be new on both occasions, meaning that the two hemispheres of the brain failed to communicate and share new information. The groundbreaking work ensured that the children and other members of the society have a chance of living normally. The study has also been applied in numerous other fields, particularly in the context of learning. However, even though the influence of the procedure was studied in the research, the researchers noticed that the patient showed superiority on the right side of the brain when they were doing spatial tasks such as arranging blocks.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Discussion
As mentioned earlier, the concept of the split brain changed how scientists viewed the human brain. As a result, new theories emerged about how the brain works over the years. Many scientists used the research by Sperry and Gazzaniga to explore further how the brain works. The concept of the split brain is still fascinating scientists to date. In an article by Pinto et al (2017), the researchers build up on the study done by the predecessors. They are aware that each hemisphere can process information independently. However, the researchers were keen to determine if the separation of the hemispheres can lead to divided consciousness. The brain is a mysterious organ since it is responsible for consciousness. The study concluded that even though the two hemispheres can process information independently, they cannot result in two independent conscious agents in one brain. Once they are separated, they cannot compare stimuli. However, the unity of consciousness is largely preserved. The study challenged the perceptions of consciousness promoted in the integration information theory and the global workspace theory. The two theories argued that information integration in the organ affected consciousness. However, the researchers establish that this is not the case, challenging the premise behind the two theories.
In the global workspace theory, the core assumption is that the transition of information in the global workspace resulted in consciousness. Therefore, when the connection between the two hemispheres is severed, then there will be two global workspaces, meaning that there are two consciousness. Therefore, in the framework, the unity of consciousness appears to be impossible. In the second theory that is debunked by the researcher, the premise is that the transmission of information determines consciousness ( Rogers, Vallortigara, & Andrew, 2012) . Therefore, once the hemispheres are independent, there are two conscious systems as opposed to one.
Another interesting fact raised in the article is that there is a possibility that people can develop mechanism to reintegrate the connection after the surgery. The researchers analyzed people from different age groups namely 19 and 22 years, 17 and 23 years, and 10 and 16 years before coming to the conclusion. Even so, the perception of the patients appeared to be split, but curiously enough, the conscious was still unified.
Conclusion
The brain is one of the most enigmatic organs in the human body. However, scientists have not been deterred in the efforts to try and understand how it functions and influences human behavior. Scientist have made deliberate efforts to determine if the brain is a unified organ, given that it has two hemispheres with distinct functions. It is the research by Sperry and Gazzaniga that shed light into the workings of the brain and opened up new doors to understanding the enigmatic organ. According to the scientists, a split brain refers to a situation where each hemisphere is able to learn even after the two hemispheres have been delinked. One hemisphere is not aware what the other has learned since they are no longer connected. Conversely, Pinto et al (2017), concluded that even though the two hemispheres can process information independently, they cannot result in two independent conscious agents in one brain. Once they are separated, they cannot compare stimuli. The unity of consciousness is largely preserved. It is difficult to reconcile the phenomenon of the split brain and the unity of consciousness, meaning that further research into the topic is needed.
References
Hock, R. R. (2015). Forty Studies that Changed Psychology, Global Edition . Pearson Education UK.
Pinto, Y et al,. (2017). Split brain: divided perception but undivided consciousness. Brain , Volume 140, Issue 5, 1 May 2017, Pages 1231–1237,
Rogers, L. J., Vallortigara, G., & Andrew, R. J. (2012). Divided brains: The biology and behaviour of brain asymmetries . Cambrige [England: Cambridge University Press.
