An experimenter flashes the word FLYTRAP onto a screen facing a split-brain patient so that FLY projects to her right hemisphere and TRAP to her left hemisphere. When asked what she saw, the patient will

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In split-brain patients, the information presented to the right hemisphere cannot be verbally reported because the language centers are located in the left hemisphere. Therefore, the patient will not be able to say she saw FLY. However, the left hemisphere controls the right hand and the right hemisphere controls the left hand, so the patient could point to FLY with her left hand. But since the word was split between the hemispheres, the patient will not have a unified perception of the word and will only be able to report what was presented to the left hemisphere, which was TRAP. Therefore, the patient will say she saw TRAP.

An Experimenter Flashes the Word FLYTRAP onto a Screen Facing