Entry #2. How do the two sides of the brain communicate?
The brain is the biggest and one of the most important organs of the body. It is responsible for the normal functioning of the of all aspects of the body. The brain has two hemispheres; the left and right. How do these two sections communicate with each other?
They communicate because of the Corpus Callosum. The corpus callosum connects the left and right hemisphere of the brain. Psychologists have been able to prove this through the split brained experiment. The split brain experiment is a disconnection in the corpus callosum.
image source: Psychology 2e by Spielman, Jenkins, Lovett.
The left hemisphere of the brain deals with language and verbal processing while the right hemisphere deals with non verbal processing (spatial skills, visual recognition, music, etc.)
Whenever we look at an object, the image in our right eye goes to the left hemisphere of our brain and the image in our left eye goes to the right hemisphere of or brain. Psychologists used this fact to experiment on split brained individuals. A split brained individual is sat down in front of a screen and an image or a word is flashed on the right side of the screen. Because information the right side of the screen is seen by the right eye, and therefore travels to the LEFT hemisphere of the brain which deals with language, the individual can say the image they saw. However, if the image was flashed on the left side of the screen which travels to the RIGHT side of the brain, if the individual is asked "what did you see?" their reply would be "I don't know." If the individual is asked to pick up what they saw with their hand, they would be able to because the right side of the brain deals with motor skills. Isn't that fascinating?
This experiment shows the communication between the cerebral hemispheres. Here is a video on the experiment
Hi Ivie! This is really interesting and it's funny cause I was just learning about this in psychology!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting blog. You have some really cool facts in there about the brain and how both sides communicate to each other. The one that really stuck out to me was the experiment the scientists did with the eyes.
ReplyDeleteHey, Ivie. Your blog is looking great so far. Nice visual appeal and engagement, good support with links and visuals, and nice writing flow. You have some smart content and ideas, and you are developing well. Nicely done! Keep it up!
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