Maguire (2000)✅

Question 1

What is the hippocampus?

Answer 1

Part of the brain that is involved with navigation and memory
In the shape of a seahorse

Question 2

What animals are known for having a large hippocampus?

Answer 2

Squirrels- burying and finding nuts

Racing/ homing pigeons- sending messages

Question 3

Aim:

Answer 3

Investigate whether or not there was a difference in the volume of an individual’s hippocampus who did/ didn’t have navigation experience

Question 4

IV:

Answer 4

Taxi driver/ non taxi driver

Question 5

DV:

Answer 5

Volume of hippocampus

Question 6

Sample:

Answer 6

16 right handed taxi driver
Mean age: 44 years
All healthy
Licensed taxi driver for at least 1.5 years

Question 7

How many in control group?

Answer 7

50 right handed males
Aged: 32-62 years
All healthy

Question 8

Type of design?

Answer 8

Independent measures

Question 9

What type of scanning was used?

Answer 9

MRI scans

Question 10

What were the control group used for?

Answer 10

To compare taxi drivers MRI scans to.

Pps we’re matched to control group based on age

Question 11

How did they ensure no bias was made when measuring hippocampus on scans?

Answer 11

Same scanning unit used for all pps

Person who measured the brain volume was experienced and was unaware who the brain scan belonged to

Question 12

What two different techniques were used to measure the brains?

Answer 12

Pixel counting

VBM (voxel- based morphometry)

Question 13

What is meant by pixel counting?

Answer 13

Counted how many pixels were occupied by the hippocampus
Brain spilt into slices:
Rear hippocampus: 6 slices
Body of hip. : 12 slices 
Front hip. : 6 slices

These were converted into volumes and were then compared to individual’s brain volume.

Question 14

What is meant by VBM:

Answer 14

Measuring grey matter

Area was measured by a computer programme

Question 15

Results:

Answer 15

Left and right hippocampi had significant differences
Less pixels for control (on every measure/ sliced area)
Right posterior hippocampal and time spent as taxi driver has a significant correlation

Question 16

Conclusions:

Answer 16

Hippocampus stores spatial related info and therefore changes when used more (increases)

As taxi drivers get to know routes better, posterior hippocampus increases

Question 17

Positives:

Answer 17

• lab= good control
• replicable (controls)
• high internal validity- IV did affect DV (due to researcher who analysed scan not being aware of who they belonged to)
• quantitative data (easy to compare)
• sample which different ages and lengths of experience

Question 18

Negatives:

Answer 18

• Only men in London
• lack of ecological validity (however only unrealistic bit was MRI and that wouldn’t have affected volume)
• MRI can be dangerous for people with metal implants and magnetic field is generated
• MRI can be distressing (confined space)