Maguire

Question 1

Background. What’s the hippocampus?

Answer 1

The hippocampus helps us to navigate and is involved in special memory.
In some species of birds and mammal, hippocampi volumes enlarge during seasons when demand for special ability is greatest.
Brain differences exist between humans with different skills (musicians and non musicians who place different demands on their brain).

Question 2

Research method

Answer 2

Quasi experiment

The brain/ hippocampus is naturally occurring.

Question 3

Experimental design

Answer 3

Independent measures

2 conditions: taxi drivers and non-taxi drivers using different people.

Question 4

Sample

Answer 4

16 male London taxi drivers.
Right handed.
32-62
All passed ‘the knowledge’ test.
All been taxi driving for at least 1.5 years.
All had healthy general medical, neurological and physiological profiles.

Control group:
50 Male non-taxi drivers.
Right handed.
32-62

Controls:
No females, no left handers, no under 32s or over 62s, anyone with health problems.

Question 5

What was used to find structure of the brain?

Answer 5

MRI used to investigate structure of the brain.

Correction was made to account for some people having larger brains than others

Question 6

Two techniques for analysing scans. Why did they use 2?

Answer 6

Voxel-based morphometry:
3D measurement of volume.
To measure the volume of brain matter and used to indicate differences in brains of people in the two conditions.

Pixel counting:
2D measurement of area.
Carried out on the scans of the 16 taxi drivers and 16 age-matched controls.
Pixel counting carried out by one person who was experienced in the technique and blind to the subjects identity and outcome of VBM analysis.

They used 2:
To increase reliability (to see if findings were consistent with one another).
To increase concurrent validity- they’re both valid measurements of hippocampal volume so should be in agreement with eachother.

Question 7

VBM analysis

Answer 7

• For taxi drivers, there was an increase in grey matter for the left and right posterior hippocampi.
• For taxi drivers, there was a decrease in grey matter for the left and right anterior hippocampi

Question 8

Pixel counting analysis

Answer 8

• Also taxi drivers had a larger volume in their posterior hippocampi, there was no difference in the overall volume of the hippocampus of the taxi drivers and controls.
• No difference in volume of the hippocampus body.
• Non taxi drivers had a higher hippocampus volume in the right side of the body of the hippocampus than in the left and a higher volume in the right anterior hippocampus than in the left.

Question 9

Correlational analysis

Answer 9

Positive correlation between time spent as a taxi driver and the volume of grey matter in the right posterior hippocampus.
Negative correlation between time spent as a taxi driver and the volume of grey matter in the anterior hippocampus.

Question 10

Type of data collected

Answer 10

Only quantitative

Question 11

Brain plasticity and what study does this compare with?

Answer 11

The hippocampus volume in the posterior and anterior can change to meet the demands of the environment (being a taxi driver and having to have good special memory).

Blakemoor and cooper- cats

Question 12

Difference between anterior and posterior hippocampus

Answer 12

Anterior- more involved when we’re learning about new environment layouts.
Posterior- involved when we’re using previously learned information.

Question 13

Difference between right and left hippocampus

Answer 13

Left holds memories and events.

Right holds ‘mental maps’