Localisation of Brain Function

Question 1

What is plasticity?

Answer 1

The brain’s incredible feature of being able to alter both its structure and function.

Question 2

Why is plasticity important?

Answer 2

Important for learning and for recovery after trauma

Question 3

What four principles does plasticity work through?

Answer 3

• Impulses travel along neurons and travel to the next neuron via a synapse.
• Neural pathways are created as new information is passed from one neuron to another.
• The more these neural pathways are used, the stronger the pathway becomes.
• If the pathway is not used regularly, the connection weakens.

Question 4

How can the brain be damaged?

Answer 4

Stroke, injuries, tumours and infections

Question 5

What was the research methods used in the split brain investigation?

Answer 5

• A natural experiment (participants had already had their corpus callosum severed due to severe epilepsy).
• There were 11 participants (10 men and 1 woman).
• Participants took a range of visual and tactile tests.
• In the visual tests, images were flashed into their left or right visual field for a 1/10 of a second and they were asked to name, describe or draw the objects.
• In the tactile test, objects were placed in either their left or right hand behind a screen.

Question 6

What were the findings of the split brain research?

Answer 6

• Information presented to the right visual field could be described in speech and writing. If the same information was presented to the left visual field, the participant could not remember seeing anything and could not describe it.

Objects placed in the right hand could be described in speech or writing. If the same objects were placed in the left-hand, participants guessed and sometimes seemed unaware they were holding anything.

Question 7

What is the conclusion of the split brain research?

Answer 7

These findings support the theory that for right handed people, language is processed in the left hemisphere of the brain.

Question 8

What is the evaluation of Sperry’s split brain research?

Answer 8

Strengths:
- Controlled and standardised - reliable

Limitations

• Small sample
• Individual differences
• Lack ecological validity

Question 9

What did Maguire et al (2000) study?

Answer 9

Maguire et al (2000) studied London taxi drivers to discover whether changes in the brain could be detected as a result of their extensive navigational experience.

Question 10

What was the procedure for the Taxi Driver investigation?

Answer 10

• A natural experiment.
• Using an MRI scanner, the researchers calculated the amount of grey matter in the brains of taxi drivers and a set of control participants.