If Downer had sectioned all commissures but left the optic chiasm intact:
A) he would have found exactly the same results as if the optic chiasm had also been sectioned.
B) the animal would have appeared wild regardless of which side the stimulus was presented on.
C) the animal would have appeared tame regardless of which side the stimulus was presented on.
D) the animal would have reacted with aggression but not appeared wild.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The commissures are the connections between the left and right sides of the brain, so sectioning all of them would prevent communication between the two sides. However, the optic chiasm is the point where the optic nerves from each eye cross over to the opposite side of the brain. If the optic chiasm is intact, the animal would still be able to process visual information from both eyes. This means that the animal would appear wild regardless of which side the stimulus was presented on, because one side of the brain wouldn't be able to communicate with the other side to coordinate a response.

If Downer Had Sectioned All Commissures but Left the Optic