Functional Recovery Flashcards
What is a limitation of Hubel and Wiesel study? (animal study)
Hubel and Wiesel’s study was on animals so their findings would have been harder to generalise to humans. Ethically, the study is questionable. Some psychologists argue the study lack internal validity as a result the harm of the kittens goes unjustified
How does functional recovery occur?
Functional recovery occurs when unaffected areas of the brain are able to adapt and compensate for the damaged areas
What is functional recovery?
This phrase refers to the brain’s ability to recover from damage following trauma - e.g a stroke
Who were the researchers who conducted an animal study?
Hubel and Wiesel
What is a strength of Hubel and Wiesel’s animal study? (more control)
By conducting an animal study, Hubel and Wiesel were able to monitor the function of the brain before and after trauma because they cause the trauma. Ethically this couldn’t be done with humans and a measure of function prior to trauma wouldn’t have been done. Mainly because they wouldn’t have known trauma was about to occur. BPS would advise that such experiments are conducted with animal than humans
What was the research into functional recovery from Hubel and Wiesel about?
Hubel and Wiesel carried out a animal study that involved sewing one eye of a kitten shut and analysing the brain cortical responses. it was found that the area of the visual cortex with the shut eye continued to process information from the open eye
What is another limitation of research into functional recovery? (personal education + functional recovery)
Evidence has shown that there is a link between a person’s educational attainment and functional recovery. For example, research has found people with more than 16 years of education have more disability free recoveries following injury. However this can be seen as a limitation because it suggest education is an example of cognitive reserve that is a crucial factor in determining how well the brain adapts after trauma. Instead of considering other factors, like financial stability or love received from family
What is a strength of research into plasticity and functional recovery? (practical application)
A strength of research into plasticity and functional recovery is its practical application. By understanding processes involved in plasticity, there have been contributions to the field of neurorehabilitation. Following illness or injury to the brain, spontaneous recovery tends to slow down, so forms of physical therapy may be required to maintain improvements in functioning. This shows, that although the brain may have the capacity to recover, this process requires further intervention if it is to be completely successful
