Maguire 2000 (Biological)

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

To see whether the brains of London taxi drivers would be somehow different as a result of their exceptional knowledge of navigation around the city

Question 2

Sample

Answer 2

16 right-handed male London taxi drivers and control group of people of varying ages taken from a MRI database

Question 3

Research Method

Answer 3

Correlational

Question 4

Procedure

Answer 4

Participants went under MRI and, using techniques like VBM and pixel counting, measure the density of grey matter in their brain.

Question 5

Findings

Answer 5

Posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers were significantly larger and anterior hippocampi were significantly smaller. Additionally, VBM showed that the volume of the right posterior hippocampi was correlational to the amount of time spent as a taxi driver. No differences were observed in other parts of the brain.

Essentially,
Maguire argued that his results demonstrate that the hippocampus may change in response to environmental demands.