Biological- Maguire et al

Question 1

Background

Answer 1

• Ability of the brain to rewrite itself and form neural connections in response to changes in demand from the environment- Brain plasticity

Question 2

Aim?

Answer 2

Whether the hippocampus might also show plasticity among humans

Question 3

Sample?

Answer 3

-16 Right handed male London taxi drivers 32-62 years
-Knows ‘The Knowledge”
-Been taxi drivers 1 and a half years
-All healthy

Question 4

Procedure?

Answer 4

-MRI taken of their brain
-Scans compared against MRI scans of control group
-Maguire chose 50 scans to compare the taxi drivers

Question 5

Research Method

Answer 5

Quasi Experiment

Question 6

Analysed in 2 ways?

Answer 6

Pixel counting
Voxel-Based Morphometry

Question 7

Pixel Counting

Answer 7

2D measurement area
Old method
Counted manually
Done for the hippocampus

Question 8

Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM)

Answer 8

3D measurement of volume
New done by a computer
Volume of grey matter and whole brain

Question 9

Findings/ conclusion

Answer 9

Findings:
- Significantly more grey matter in the posterior parts of the hippocampus
-Less grey matter in the anterior of the hippocampus

Question 10

Procedure-Correlation Part

Answer 10

Mri= further analysis
Maguire interested in correlation between length of time as a taxi driver and volume grey matter in the hippocampus

Question 11

Findings- correlation part

Answer 11

positive between= length of time and grey matter rear
Negative= length of time and grey matter front

Question 12

Conclusions

Answer 12

Human brain has plasticity
Change can occur with line demands placed on taxi drivers