Roger Sperry
By: Madie Heinen
Roger is famous for discovering the human brain is split into two parts.
He found out that the left and right parts of the human brain have their own specialized functions and that they work independently. The brain is split into the left and right hemispheres and connected in the middle by a part of brain called corpus callosum. In split-brain patients the corpus callosum is damaged due to people having epilepsy, because seizures start in one hemisphere and go to the next. Sperry's research with split-brain cats helped lead to the discovery that cutting the corpus callosum is very effective for people suffering from epilepsy.
How did his research affect psychology?
Roger's research helped better the psychologist's understanding of how the brain processes, communicates, and stores information. He accomplished this through his research in cats and humans by cutting their corpus callosum.
How did his research help to understand how people think and act?
Roger Sperry was know for his research in split brain patients. He conducted several tests on cat's corpus callosum which was the communication link between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. He was awarded the noble price in science for his research.
How did the time period in which he lived affect him and his research?
Today we have technology like MRI's to see inside the brain without cutting someone open. Roger had to start off with cats and experimenting on them before he tried it on humans. Of course he had to have consent from the test subject and he could only use people who had epilepsy.