Biopsychology: Plasticity + functional recovery

Question 1

Define plasticity

Answer 1

Developing new pathways (in the brain) on a cellular level through experience - neuronal connections develop as you adapt to your environment

Question 2

Define functional recovery

Answer 2

Regaining a skill by transferring functions from the damaged area to an undamaged area

Question 3

Define neuronal unmasking

Answer 3

‘Dormant’ synapses open connections to compensate for nearby damaged areas

Question 4

Give a real-life application of brain plasticity (except taxi drivers) - and outline what happens

Answer 4

Being bilingual - increase in grey matter in areas involving verbal fluency tasks

Question 5

What research method did Maguire use for his taxi driver research?

Answer 5

Quasi

Question 6

Outline Maguire’s sample and the evaluation points that align with it

Answer 6

16 right-handed males - low generalisation - androcentric + low generalisation - idiographic

Question 7

What did Maguire do?

Answer 7

He used MRI scans to compare his sample to 50 healthy, right-handed males who didn’t drive taxis

Question 8

What were the findings of Maguire’s study?

Answer 8

More grey matter in taxi drivers - due to more neuronal connections = bigger hippocampus AND Correlation - more time spent as taxi driver= bigger hippocampus

Question 9

How does Maguire’s study support brain plasticity?

Answer 9

Suggests that experience can change the structure of the brain as the experienced taxi drivers all had bigger than average hippocampus’