#core studies

Area

Biological

Sample

11 patients who had undergone ‘an extensive midline section of the cerebral commissures in an effort to control severe epileptic convulsion not controlled by medication’

2 PPs had the split brain surgery a long time before the study

9 PPs has the spit brain surgery not long before the study

Research Method

IV

Having split brain or not/ Hemisphere used

Natural experiment as the researchers had no impact on the IV

Strictly control of test to make up for lack of control of IV

The DV’s result could not be changed by the IV as it is a biological process

Procedure

(Focus is just on key tests)

1) Presenting visual information: The PP with one eye covered centred their gaze on a fixed point in the centre of an upright translucent screen. Visual stimuli on 35mm transparencies were arranged in a standard projector and were then back projected at 1/10 of a second or less- too fast for eye movements to get information into the wrong visual field. Everything projected to the left of the central meridian of the screen is passed through via the left visual field (LVF) to the right hemisphere and vice versa (regardless of the eye used).

2) Presenting tactile information: Below the translucent screen was a gap so that PPs could reach objects but not see their hands. Objects were then placed in either the PPs right or left hand or both hands. Information about objects placed in the left hand is processed by the right hemisphere and vice versa.

PPs undertook a variety of both visual and tactile tests.

A  variety of other tests were undertaken that highlighted the lateralisation of the brain function.

Findings

1) Visual tests:

i. Information shown and responded to in one field can only be recognised again if shown in the same visual field.

ii. Information presented in the RVF could be described in speech and writing. If the same information was presented to the LVF, the PP insisted they didn’t see anything or that there was only a flash of light on the left side, i.e. the information could not be described in speech or writing. However they could point to a matching picture/object amongst a collection of pictures/objects.

iii. If different figures were presented simultaneously to different visual fields e.g. $ to the LVF and ? to the RVF, PPs could draw the $ with their left hand but said they saw a ?.

2) Tactile tests:

i. Objects placed in the right hand could be described in speech or in writing (with the right hand). If the same object were placed in the left hand PPs could only make a guess and were often unaware they were holding anything.

ii. Objects felt by one hand were only recognised by the same hand

iii. When two objects were placed simultaneously in each hand and then hidden in a pile of objects, both hands selected their own object and ignore the others object

Conclusion

People with split brain have 2 separate visual inner world each with its own train of visual images, split brain patients have a lack of cross integration where the second hemisphere does not know what the first hemisphere has been doing, and split brain patients seem to have two independent streams of consciousness each with its own memories, perceptions and impulses

Data

Qualitative but some quantitative

Statistical analyses can be done

Gives rich data source

Ethics

No deception was used, PPs were in no harm or unduly stressed

Reliability

Found general trend in lateralisation of the brain

Some PPs results went against the trends (important in such a small sample group)

Validity

Sample size was very small

It may not be possible to generalise results of abnormal brains to normal ones

STEM + Art = STEAM

STEM subjects, are the areas that most big players in economy, education and industry consider to be the plenipotentiary, from which all other priorities should follow. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and studies in these areas are comparably well funded, well supported, and ultimately, well paid. Telling somebody you work in one of these industries summons forth…

4450 participants - 45% black 55% white

on a train

11pm -8pm over 3 months

in 1968

it was a field experiment on new york subway

on a 7 and a half min journey

and 103 trials were carried out

there were 4 teams of 4 people - 2 observers (women) and a victim and a model (both male)

70 seconds into the journey - victim staggard forward and collapsed 

if he received no help by end of journey, model would help him to his feet

at end they all left train and waited separately for the train in opposite direction to repeat

IV -

white, black, ill (had black cane), drunk (smelt of liquor and carried a liquor bottle wrapped in a brown bag)

affect of a model (after 70 or 150 seconds, from critical or adjacent area or no model at all

size of the witnessing group which varied naturally on each journey

DVs (observers recorded these things):

time taken for first person to help (speed of help)

total numbers of passengers who helped (frequency of help)

gender race and location of helpers

sex of helper

movement out of critical area (aka, how many people moved out of train carriage) 

verbal comments by bystanders

standardized:

victim always collapsed in same place

victim in each team wore same clothes

observers recorded unobtrusively

each time got on oposite trains to avoid same passangers

results:

more help given to ill victim

men most often first to help 90%

some tenancy for same race helping in drunk condition

cane victim received spontaneous help 95% of time

drunk received help 50% of the time

help offered more quickly to cane - median of 5 seconds

help offered at median of 109 seconds

response happened faster with larger groups - no diffusion of responsibility was found

more comments made in drunk condition - most made after no help within the first 70 seconds

usefulness:

bystanders make a cost-reward analysis before offering help as it offered understanding on why people assist or don't assist those in need

situational effects - if someone witnesses an event and can't escape, they're more likely to offer assistance

changes that could me made:

more observers - to agree on behavior and have better inter-rater reliability

observers in critical section - make results more reliable

debrief passengers 1 week after by poster with a phone number if want further info - passengers may be distressed - increases ethics

Digital paintings I did in Figure and Life today.

Some drawings. That I drew. In my life drawing class. LIKE A BOSS.