Biopsychology: brain plasticity

Question 1

What is brain plasticity?

Answer 1

.the idea that the brain can change and adapt due to experiences and change over time

Question 2

What are the two types of brain plasticity?

Answer 2

.structural
.functional

Question 3

What is structural brain plasticity?

Answer 3

.experiences or memories that change the brains physical structure

Question 4

What is functional brain plasticity?

Answer 4

.brain functions move from damaged areas to undamaged areas

Question 5

What does brain plasticity involve?

Answer 5

.growing and forming of synaptic connections

Question 6

What can happen to the synaptic connections?

Answer 6

.they can be pruned

Question 7

What does pruning mean?

Answer 7

.the deleting of connections that are not frequently used

Question 8

What is bridging?

Answer 8

making new connections

Question 9

Who conducted the research evidence to support brain plasticity?

Answer 9

.eleanor maguire (1998)

Question 10

What did Eleanor maguire (1998) do?

Answer 10

.studied the brains of London taxi drivers who have studied for the ‘the knowledge’

Question 11

What did Eleanor maguire (1998) find?

Answer 11

.found they had significantly more volume of grey matter in their posterior hippocampus than in matched controls

Question 12

How does the research that Eleanor Maguire conduct support plasticity?

Answer 12

.because their physical brain structure has changed due to forming new synaptic connections