Final answer:
The word shown to a participant in the control condition of a split-brain study will be identified more easily if shown in the right visual field because the left hemisphere, which processes language, receives this input and can communicate it verbally.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a researcher studying split-brain effects briefly shows a printed word to a participant in the control condition, the word will be identified more easily if it appears in the right visual field. This is because, in most people, the left hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for language processing, receives visual input from the right visual field. The corpus callosum, a bundle of neural fibers that connects the two hemispheres, typically allows for communication between the two, but in individuals with split-brain (where the corpus callosum has been severed), the right visual field advantage becomes even more pronounced.
In split-brain patients, an object or word presented to the left visual field (which is processed by the right hemisphere) cannot be verbalized because the speech centers are primarily located in the left hemisphere. Therefore, these patients might not be able to verbally recognize or name what was seen. However, they might be able to respond to it with their left hand or in non-verbal ways, indicating that the non-verbal right hemisphere did, in fact, process the visual information.