Jerre Levy facts for kids
Jerre Levy (born April 7, 1938) is an American psychologist and brain researcher. She has spent her career studying how the two halves of the brain work together. She especially looked at how these brain parts handle tasks like seeing things versus using language, often by studying patients who had "split-brain" surgery.
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Who is Jerre Levy?
Jerre Levy is a scientist who helps us understand more about our brains. She was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 7, 1938. Her work focuses on how different parts of the brain specialize in certain tasks and how they cooperate.
Her Early Life and Studies
Jerre Levy began her journey in science by earning a degree in psychology from the University of Miami in 1962. She continued her studies there for a while before moving to Caltech. At Caltech, she worked in the laboratory of a famous scientist named Roger Sperry. She earned her PhD in 1970.
After finishing her studies, Jerre Levy taught at the University of Pennsylvania from 1972 to 1977. Later, she became a professor at the University of Chicago.
Exploring the Brain's Hemispheres
Jerre Levy's research has shown us interesting things about the brain's two main halves, called cerebral hemispheres. She found that the left hemisphere of the brain is often better at tasks that involve step-by-step thinking, like solving math problems or understanding sentences.
On the other hand, the right brain seems to be more involved in "holistic" thinking. This means it's good at seeing the big picture, understanding patterns, or recognizing faces.
How Brain Parts Work Together
One of Jerre Levy's most important ideas is that the two halves of the brain don't work completely separately. Instead, she believes they work together for almost everything we do. This is different from what some other scientists, like Roger Sperry, once thought. Levy's research suggests that our brains are always using both sides in a coordinated way for all human activities.
