Blakemoore and Cooper Flashcards
what is the aim of this study
to investigate the development of the primary visual cortex in cats
what kind of method is it
lab experiment
what is the independant variable
whether the kittens were reared in a horizontal or a vertical environment
what is dependant variable
their visuomotor behaviour once they were placed in an illuminated environment.
what was the sample
two of the kittens were used to study study neurophysical effects
what happens from birth to age of two weeks
the kittens were housed from a completely dark room from birth and then at age of two weeks they were put into a special apparatus for 5 hours a day
describe the special apparatus
kittens stood on a clear glass platform inside a tall cylinder which was covered in high contrast black and white stripes either vertical or horizontal. The kittens were wearing a full black collarr to restrict viewing their body
when did the routine of being placed in the apparatus stop
5 months old
what happened when the kittens turned 5 months old
the kittens were taken for several hours each week from their dark cages to a small lit room with chairs and tables and their behaviour was recorded.
what happened at 7.5 months
the kittens were anaesthestiezed and had their brains examined
what effects of this study were permanent on the kittens
they always followed moving objects with very jerky clumsy head movements and often tried to reach things well beyond their reach
what was one of the results
showed behavioural blindess in the kittens raised in the horizontal environment could not detect vertically aligned objects and vice versa
give one conclusion from this study
visual experiences in the early life of kittens can modify their brains and have profound perceptional consequences
key theme question
who-kittens studied from birth and randomly allocated conditions
what-to investigate the development of the primary visual cortex in cats
how-letting the cats grow up in a horizontal or vertical environmant
area question
principle- changes to brain structure causes changes to behaviour
aim- to investigate the development of the primary visual cortex in cats
