Blakemore and Cooper Flashcards
What were Blackmore and Cooper interested in investigating?
Brain plasticity
What is brain plasticity?
Your brain adapts and changes according to what you do in your life
Who’s work inspired Blakemore and Cooper?
Hirsch and Spinelli
What did Hirsch and Spinelli find?
They could change the way the neurones in the visual cortex aligned themselves by controlling what kittens could see as they grew up
Kittens were raised only being able to see vertical stripes in one eye and horizontal in the other eye
When released into an everyday environment, they were found to have visual impairments
What is the visual cortex?
The part of the brain that receives and processes sensory nerve impulses from the eyes
What is the startle response?
The “backing off” reaction of a cat when an object is moved quickly towards their face
What is visual placing?
When a cat puts its feet out to meet the edge of a surface
