Roger W. Sperry
The divided brain revealed the organized mind.
American neuropsychologist and Nobel laureate known for split-brain research and cerebral lateralization.
The divided brain revealed that consciousness and perception depend on organized neural systems.
Who they were
Roger Sperry studied patients whose brain hemispheres had been surgically separated, and found that each side could perceive and act on its own. His Nobel-winning work revealed that the hemispheres are specialized, that consciousness depends on organized neural systems, and that mind genuinely matters within the brain.
Famous books
What they left on the shelf
Terms they cared about
Ideas worth knowing
Their techniques
How the work was done
Best known as a theorist — their ideas shaped the techniques of those who followed.
Their big idea
Split-Brain & Lateralization
Roger Sperry’s split-brain research, dividing the cerebral hemispheres, revealed that the two sides are specialized and partly independent, and led him to argue that mind emerges from organized brain processes and can influence behavior.
Questions in their spirit
What they’d ask you
Sit with one. Answer online, or in the app.
Carry the idea forward
Sperry — What they’d ask you
Psipas asks you one small, honest question at a time — and builds the picture from your answers.