Maguire

Question 1

Outline the background to the study by Maguire

Answer 1

-The hippocampus is the region of the brain that is involved in spatial memory
-some species of animals hippocampus volumes enlarge whe demand for spatial ability is at its greatest
This suggests that the hippocampus has plasticity

Question 2

Outline the aim of the study by Maguire

Answer 2

-Maguire wanted to find out whether the hippocampus may also show plasticity among humans

Question 3

Outline the sample used in Maguire et als study into taxi drivers

Answer 3

16 right handed London taxi drivers
Age 32-62 years old
-al had learnt the ‘knowledge’
MALE

Question 4

Outline the procedure used by Maguire et al

Answer 4

-The taxi drivers all had MRI scans of their brains

-These scans were then compared to those of a control group, Maguire chose 50 scans to compare the taxi drivers scans against, all being right handed males aged 32-62
-the scans were then analysed and compared in two ways:

-PIXEL COUNTING- 2D measurement of area, pixels being manually counted of the hippocampus
-VBM (Voxel Based Morphometry) 3D measurement of volume, new technique done by computer applied to the whole brains

-Both cases it was the volume of grey matter that was measured

Question 5

Outline the findings from this study

Answer 5

-The only region of the brain where a significant difference was found between the two groups in volume was of grey matter in the hippocampus
Compared against controls the taxi drivers were:
-significantly more grey matter in the posterior (rear) parts of the hippocampus
-significantly less in the anterior (front) parts of their. Hippocampus

Question 6

Outline the procedure of the correlation all part of the study by Maguire

Answer 6

-For the second time the MRI scans were under more analysis with Maguire looking at the relationship between length of time as a taxi driver and volume of grey matter in the hippocampus

Question 7

Outline the findings from the correlation so study by Maguire et al

Answer 7

-There was a positive correlation between length of time as a taxi driver and volume of grey after in the posterior hippocampus
-There was a negative correlation between length of time as a taxi driver and volume of grey matter in the anterior hippocampus

Question 8

Outline the conclusions made by Maguire et al

Answer 8

-The quasi experiment part of the study confirme that the human brain has plasticity. The correlation all part of the study suggests that changes in the hippocampus can occur in line with the demands of the job as a taxi driver