An experimenter flashes a picture in someone's left visual field and asks what it was. The person answers "I don't know," while pointing to the correct answer with the left hand. What part of the brain is probably damaged in this person?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The corpus callosum connects the two hemispheres of the brain and is responsible for transmitting neural messages between them. If it is damaged, the two hemispheres cannot communicate effectively. In this scenario, the picture flashed in the left visual field is processed by the right hemisphere (since visual information from the left field is processed by the right hemisphere and vice versa). However, because the corpus callosum is damaged, this information cannot be relayed to the left hemisphere, which is primarily responsible for language and speech. Thus, the person cannot verbally identify the picture but can still point to it with the left hand (controlled by the right hemisphere), indicating non-verbal recognition.

An Experimenter Flashes a Picture in Someone's Left Visual Field