Maguire

Question 0

Describe the sample

Answer 0

16 right handed male London taxi drivers. Aged 32-62 (mean age 44).
Taxi drivers for at least 1.5 years, mean time 14.3 years.
Average time on ‘the knowledge’= 2 years.

Question 1

What was the aim of the study?

Answer 1

To demonstrate that the hippocampus is the region of the brain associated with spatial memory and navigation.

Question 2

Describe the Control Group

Answer 2

50 right handed males aged 32-62, MRI scanned at the Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology.

Question 3

What was the IV in the study?

Answer 3

Wether participants were taxi drivers or not.

Question 4

What was the DV in the study?

Answer 4

Size of the hippocampus.

Question 5

What were the controls in the study?

Answer 5

All participants were male and right handed.
Taxi and non taxi drivers were age matched and scanned at the same unit.
Pixel counter was blind to the VBM results and wether the scan were of a taxi/non taxi driver.

Question 6

Results:

Describe the results from the VBM analysis of the scans

Answer 6

In taxi drivers increased grey matter volume was found in the right and left posterior hippocampi whereas in non-taxi drivers there was more grey matter volume in the right and left anterior hippocampi.
No differences were found in other parts of the brain.

Question 7

Results:

Describe the results of the pixel counting analysis.

Answer 7

There was no difference in the overall volume of the hippocampus.
Non taxi drivers had a greater anterior right hippocampal volume.
Taxi drivers had a greater posterior hippocampal volume.

Question 8

Negative evaluation points:

Answer 8

• All male sample

- Ethnocentric