Dr. Corpus is studying patients who have all suffered from severe epilepsy and performs split-brain surgery on half of them: split-brain patients who are all right-handed and patients who have not had split-brain surgery (who are also right handed). She would like to further study the findings of those like the "Hatband" study (discussed in your textbook) by flashing on a screen one word "hat" to the left visual field only and another word, "band," to the right visual field only. Then the participants are asked, "what did you see?" Participants are asked to write down what they saw (with their right hand) and point to what they saw with their left hand.
What would be the independent variable (IVs) in Dr. Corpus' study? (Hint: There is one IV in this study). The IV is split-brain surgery.
What is the operational definition of the IV? In other words, how is the IV being manipulated? Half of the patients (who are all right handed) are split-brain patients and half have not had split-brain surgery.
What would be the dependent variable (DV) in Dr. Corpus' study? (Hint: There is one DV).
The DV is the left and right hands of the patients.
What is the operational definition of the DV? In other words, how is the DV being measured? (Hint: There are two ways he's measuring the DV).
One way the DV is being measured:
By using the hatband study, that is by flashing on a screen one word "hat" to the left visual field only and another word, "band" to the right visual field only.
Second way the DV is being measured:
Participants were asked to write down what they saw with their right hand and point to what they saw with their left hand.
Given previous findings in similar past studies, what would be the hypothesis for Dr. Corpus' study? (Hint: be sure to describe what you would expect to happen for all the different variables you described above).
If the patients with severe epilepsy have split-brain surgery, then their left and right visual fields will have a disconnection effects with their left and right hands.