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Psychology > Biological area: Blakemore and Cooper > Flashcards

Biological area: Blakemore and Cooper Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the name of the research which inspired Blakemore and Cooper to conduct their experiment?

A

Hirsch and Spinelli

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2
Q

What did Hirsch and Spinelli find?

A

That cats neurons developed according to which orientation that had been exposed to (either vertical or horizontal

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3
Q

Define neuroplasticity

A

The ability of the brain to change shape/structure (e.g. form new neural connections in response to changes in the environment

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4
Q

What was the first aim of Blakemore and Cooper’s study?

A

To compare the behavioural consequences of raising kittens seeing only horizontal or vertical stripes

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5
Q

What was the second aim of Blakemore and Cooper’s study?

A

To investigate the neurophysiological effect in kittens’ visual cortex

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6
Q

What was the research method used in Blakemore and Cooper’s study?

A

Lab experiment

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7
Q

Why can Blakemore and Cooper’s study be considered a lab experiment?

A

Because clear controls were used with two cats each experiencing a different environment

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8
Q

What was the experimental design used in Blakemore and Cooper’s study?

A

Independent groups

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9
Q

Describe the sample used

A

2 kittens from birth until they were one year old

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10
Q

What was the environment for the first two weeks of the cats’ lives?

A

They were housed in a completely dark room

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11
Q

From how old were the kittens exposed to the vertical/horizontal cylinder environment?

A

From 2 weeks old

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12
Q

How long did the kittens spend in the cylinder a day?

A

5 hours a day

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13
Q

Describe the cylinder (height and diameter)

A

46 cm diameter, 2 m high

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14
Q

What was the purpose of the glass platform within the cylinder?

A

For the kitten to stand on

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15
Q

What did the cat have to wear to restrict its vision so that it could only see the stripes?

A

A black collar

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16
Q

To what angle did the black collar restrict the kittens view to?

A

130 degrees

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17
Q

At what age did the daily exposure to the vertically/horizontally orientated environment end?

A

5 months old

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18
Q

What was the IV in this study?

A

Horizontal or vertical orientation

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19
Q

What type of deficit did the kittens had when first exposed to the well lit room?

A

Visual

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20
Q

What type of response did they not show despite having normal pupillary reflexes? (initial reactions)

A

Startle response

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21
Q

How did the kittens navigate around the room for the majority of the time? (initial reactions)

A

Via touch

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22
Q

When did kittens display a fear response? (initial reactions)

A

Only when they felt they had reached the end of a table or ledge

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23
Q

What would the kittens not do which showed a lack of visual placing? (initial reactions)

A

They would not put feet forward to meet the edge of a table/ledge

24
Q

After how many hours did most of the deficits disappear?

A

10 hours

25
Q

What things did the kitten begin to display after 10 hours?

A

Startle reflex, visual placing and would jump easily from chair to the floor

26
Q

Describe the kittens visual tracking of moving objects after 10 hours exposure to the well lit room?

A

Clumsy/jerky

27
Q

What would the kittens often reach for after 10 hours of exposure to the well lit room?

A

For moving objects beyond their grasp

28
Q

What did the kittens often do when they explored the room?

A

Bump into things

29
Q

What was presented to the kittens to test their startle reflex?

A

A perspex sheet with thick black and white stripes on it

30
Q

What were the results from the startle reflex test with the perspex sheet?

A

When it was presented in the ‘right’ direction the cats would show a startle reflex and when it was presented in the ‘wrong’ direction the cats would show no reaction

31
Q

Describe the other test used to test the differences in behaviour from the two cats?

A

A rod was shaken in front of the cat (a game in which normal cats would chase the rod) in both directions to see how each cat would interact with the rod

32
Q

What were the results from the test involving the rod?

A

When the rod was presented vertically to the vertically orientated cat, the cat would respond to the rod and would ignore it when it was presented horizontally (vice versa with the horizontally orientated cat)

33
Q

At what age were the cats anaesthetised with nitrous oxide?

A

7.5 months

34
Q

What happened to the cats after they were anaesthetised?

A

They were paralysed with succinylcholine and their eyes were opened

35
Q

After the cats’ eyes were opened what did the experimenters insert into the primary visual cortex?

A

Electrodes

36
Q

What was the purpose of inserting electrodes into the primary visual cortex?

A

To take electrical readings from individual neurons

37
Q

What was the purpose of the visual neuron activity?

A

To show optimal orientation for each neuron when shown bright slits or edges of light

38
Q

How many neurons had recordings taken from in total?

A

125

39
Q

How many neurons were recorded from the horizontally reared cat?

A

52

40
Q

How many neurons were recorded from the vertically reared cat?

A

72

41
Q

Describe how the neurons in a normal cat’s visual cortex would be

A

They would be balance ‘around the clock’

42
Q

In what direction did the horizontally reared cat have no neurons?

A

In a vertical direction

43
Q

In what direction did the vertically reared cat have no neurons?

A

In a horizontal direction

44
Q

What did the differences between the cats suggest about neurons? (conclusion)

A

That they can change their preferred orientation according to the stimulation that they receive, matching the ability of the brain to respond to the features in its visual input

45
Q

In what 2 ways can Blakemore and Cooper be defended in terms of ethics?

A

They only used 2 cats, a minimum

Their work was also approved by the home office

46
Q

In what ways can Blakemore and Cooper be criticised in terms of ethics?

A

Although they state ‘the cats did not seem upset..’ we cannot know this for sure

47
Q

Was the procedure standardised and replicable (internally reliable)?

A

Yes, well controlled, although ethical guidelines make replication unlikely

48
Q

Was the sample large enough to suggest a consistent effect (externally reliable)?

A

No, but it is unlikely that the cats were abnormal

49
Q

Was it an accurate test of brain plasticity (construct validity)?

A

Yes because each cat’s neurons responded in the way predicted

50
Q

How could this study be said to have concurrent validity?

A

Both the behavioural and neurophysiological results matched

51
Q

Did the experiment resemble a real life situation?

A

No, keeping the cats in a dark room

52
Q

Can the sample be generalised from (population validity)?

A

Not to humans

53
Q

Why is it not appropriate to discuss ethnocentrism in relation to this study?

A

Because the participants were cats

54
Q

In what way can this study be argued to support the nurture debate?

A

The environment the cats were in changed the visual neurons of their cortex

55
Q

In what way can this study be argued to support psychology as a science?

A

Clear controls/objective measures and could be proved wrong

Psychology (38 decks)

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