A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

How did participants respond to the visual and tactile task in Sperry et al (1968)?

1. They identified objects accurately from memory

2. They made wild guesses about object identity

3. They provided detailed descriptions of objects

4. They did not respond at all

The correct answer is: They made wild guesses about object identity

Participants in the study by Sperry et al. (1968), which examined the effects of split-brain surgery, displayed specific characteristics in their responses to visual and tactile tasks. When tasked with identifying objects through touch, participants were often unable to accurately name or describe the objects they had felt, suggesting that the information processed in one hemisphere (usually the right, which connects to the left hand) did not transfer to the dominant left hemisphere where language abilities are localized. This led to responses characterized by guesses rather than precise identifications. In the context of the study, the individuals would often indicate confusion or uncertainty about the identity of objects, showing that, despite having tactile information, they could not access the correct verbal labels. This highlights the separation of cognitive functions that can occur in a split-brain scenario, reinforcing the conclusion that visual processing in one hemisphere could disrupt the ability to verbally identify objects without speech access from the non-dominant hemisphere. As a result, wild guesses about object identity became a notable feature of their responses.