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Module 1.4c

Although the left hemisphere is skilled at making quick, literal interpretations of lan-
guage, the right hemisphere
• excels at making inferences (Beeman & Chiarello, 1998; Bowden & Beeman, 1998; Mason ENGAGE 1.4-9
& Just, 2004). When given an insight-like problem — “Which word goes with boot, sum- (15 minutes) To illustrate hemispheric
mer, and ground?” — the right hemisphere more quickly comes to a reasoned conclusion
and recognizes the solution: camp. As one patient explained after a right hemisphere differences in the intact brain for your
stroke, “I understand words, but I’m missing the subtleties.” students, use Teacher Demonstration:
• helps us modulate our speech to make meaning clear — as when we say, “Let’s eat, AP Exam Tip Hemispheric Specialization. This
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Grandpa!” instead of “Let’s eat Grandpa!” (Heller, 1990). quick and easy demonstration shows
• helps orchestrate our self-awareness. People who suffer partial paralysis will sometimes Notice that your authors never
refer to your left brain or your
stubbornly deny their impairment — constantly claiming they can move a paralyzed right brain. You have two brain what happens when you overtax one
limb — if the damage occurs to the right hemisphere (Berti et al., 2005). hemispheres, each with its own hemisphere.
responsibilities, but you have only
Simply looking at the two hemispheres, so alike to the naked eye, who would sup- one brain. It’s very misleading
pose they each contribute uniquely to the harmony of the whole? Yet a variety of when the popular press refers to M1.4c: Hemispheric
observations — of people with split brains, of people with healthy brains, and even of other the left brain and the right brain. Specialization
®
When studying for the AP exam,
species’ brains — converge beautifully, leaving little doubt that we have unified brains with avoid psychology myths.
specialized parts (Hopkins & Cantalupo, 2008; MacNeilage et al., 2009).
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TEACHING THE AP TIP
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Not for redistribution.
Module 1.4c REVIEW
Tell your students that Jerre Levy,
1.4-8 To what extent can a damaged brain 1.4-9 What do split brains reveal about the one of Roger Sperry’s collaborators,
reorganize itself, and what is neurogenesis? functions of our two brain hemispheres? emphasizes the following points in
Copyright © Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers.
challenging what she calls the “two-
• While brain and spinal cord neurons usually do not re- • Split-brain research (experiments on people with a sev-
generate, some neural tissue can reorganize in response ered corpus callosum) has confirmed that in most people, brain” myth:
to damage. the left hemisphere is the more verbal. The right hemi-
• The damaged brain may demonstrate neuroplasticity, es- sphere excels in visual perception and making inferences, • There is no activity to which
pecially in young children, as new pathways are built and and helps us modulate our speech and orchestrate our only one hemisphere makes a
functions migrate to other brain regions. self-awareness. contribution.
• Reassignment of functions to different areas of the brain • Studies of the intact brain in healthy people confirm that
may also occur in blindness and deafness, or as a result of each hemisphere makes unique contributions to the inte- • Logic is not confined to the left
damage and disease. grated functioning of the whole brain. hemisphere. In fact, people with
• Some research suggests that the brain may sometimes right-hemisphere damage have
mend itself by forming new neurons, a process known as
neurogenesis. more severe problems in this
area than do people with left-
hemisphere damage.
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AP Practice Multiple Choice Questions • There is no evidence that either
creativity or intuition is an
1. Nan was in a car accident, which resulted in brain dam- 2. Dr. Cantor studies neurogenesis, to understand how
age. However, some of her brain areas took over the a. one brain structure takes on the functions of an exclusive property of the right
function of the damaged area, thanks to the role of adjacent structure. hemisphere. For example, both
a. lesioning. b. the brain creates new neurons. hemispheres are equally skilled
b. positron emission training. c. association areas expand as new material is learned.
c. neuroplasticity. d. the brain adapts to new learning. in discriminating musical chords.
d. the split brain.
• It is impossible to educate one
hemisphere at a time. The left
hemisphere learns as much as
The Brain: Damage Response and Brain Hemispheres Module 1.4c 85 the right in an art class.
• There is no evidence that people
are purely “left-brained” or “right-
CLOSE & ASSESS CLOSE & ASSESS
03_myersAPpsychology4e_28116_ch01_002_163.indd 85 15/12/23 9:23 AM brained.”
Exit Activity Exit Assessment
(10 minutes) Module 1.4c contains some (15 minutes) Have students engage in a ASSESS
complicated material. To conclude this directed paraphrase activity in pairs. Ask one
module, have students engage in a 3-2-1 student to explain Figure 1.4-21 to a grandpar- Answers to Module 1.4c AP ®
activity. Ask them to write down three things ent (or any adult relative) who has never taken Practice Multiple Choice
they learned, two questions they have, and a psychology course. In this activity, students Questions
one thing they want you, the teacher, to should provide background information so that 1. c (SP 1.A) 2. b (SP 1.A)
know. Address their questions before moving their “grandparent” clearly understands the fig-
to the next module. ure. Then, have the other student do the same
for their seven-year-old cousin, using only words
a seven-year-old would understand. Remember:
Take time to address any misinformation that
comes up in this assessment activity.

The Brain: Damage Response and Brain Hemispheres Module 1.4c 85

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