Maguire et al (2000)

Question 1

Background of the study

Answer 1

-The hippocampus is a region of the brain that is involved in spatial memory
-The volume of the hippocampus is enlarged in animals that have a large territory to navigate

Question 2

What is grey matter?

Answer 2

-Tissue in the nervous system that appears grey, as it is composed of numerous nerve cell bodies
-This is involved in processing information in the brain

Question 3

Aim of the study

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Sample

Answer 4

-Self-selecting
-16 right-handed male London taxi drivers, aged 32-62
-Taxi drivers for at least 18 months since completing ‘the knowledge’
-Had healthy general medical profiles

Question 5

Procedure (quasi-experimental part of the study)

Answer 5

-Quasi experiment
-Taxi drivers had an MRI scan of their brain, which was compared to the scan of a non-taxi driver
-Analysed by pixel counting and Voxel-Based Morphometry

Question 6

Participants in the control group

Answer 6

-50 people (only 16 chosen)
-Chosen from scans already on record at the Wellcome institute in London
-Matched on age, being right-handed and being male
-Not taxi drivers

Question 7

What was pixel counting?

Answer 7

-2D measurement of volume
-Old method of analysis and involved pixels being counted up manually
-Was only done for the hippocampus

Question 8

What was Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM)?

Answer 8

-3D measurement of volume
-A new technique done by computer
-Applied to the whole brain

Question 9

Findings (quasi-experimental part of the study)

Answer 9

-Compared to the control group:
-Taxi drivers had significantly more grey matter in the posterior part of the hippocampus
-Taxi drivers had significantly less grey matter in the anterior part of the hippocampus

Question 10

Procedure (correlational part of the study)

Answer 10

-MRI scans of the taxi drivers further analyses
-Maguire wanted to see if there was a correlation between length of time as a taxi driver, ad volume of grey matter in the hippocampus

Question 11

Findings (correlational part of the study)

Answer 11

-Positive correlation between length of time as a taxi driver, and volume of grey matter in posterior part of the hippocampus
-Negative correlation between length of time as a taxi driver, and volume of grey matter in anterior part of the hippocampus

Question 12

Conclusions

Answer 12

-The Quasi-experimental part of the study confirmed that the right hippocampus has plasticity (this may be true for the rest of the brain but was not relevant to the study)
-The correlational part of the study suggests these changes in the hippocampus can occur in lie with the demands placed on taxi drivers by their job

Question 13

How does the study link to the nature-nurture debate?

Answer 13

-Nurture
-The taxi drivers weren’t born with that volume of grey matter
-It has changed over the years of them being a taxi driver

Question 14

How does the study link to the freewill-determinism debate?

Answer 14

-Determinism
-Size of the sections in the hippocampus is determined by the spatial memory needs in a person’s job

Question 15

How does this study relate to the individual-situational explanations debate?

Answer 15

-Situational
-Brain structure has changed due to the situation of being/not being a taxi driver

Question 16

How could this study be seen as socially sensitive?

Answer 16

Socially sensitive as they may feel anxious about a deficit they have in learning new things as a result of their job

Question 17

How does the study link to the nature-nurture debate?

Answer 17

-Nurture
-Weren’t born with that volume of grey matter, it has changed over the years of them being a taxi driver

Question 18

How does the study link to the freewill-determinism debate?

Answer 18

-Determinism
-Size of the sections in the hippocampus is determined by the spatial memory needs in the persons job

Question 19

How does the study link to the individual-situational debate?

Answer 19

-Situational
-Brain structure changed due to situation of being/not being a taxi driver

Question 20

How could the study be seen as socially sensitive?

Answer 20

Socially sensitive as people may feel anxious about a deficit they have in learning new things as a result of their job

Question 21

How does this study relate to the biological area?

Answer 21

-Behaviour has affected brain structure
-Suggests the ability to navigate different routes and maps is related to a specific region of the brain-the hippocampus

Question 22

Similarities between Maguire and B&C studies

Answer 22

-Both studies were highly controlled
-Both studies were ethical

Question 23

Elaborate on both studies being highly controlled

Answer 23

-B&C had many controls-having cats in the striped tubes for the same amount of time
-Maguire gave her students the same MRI scan and analysed the scans the same way

Question 24

Elaborate on both studies being ethical

Answer 24

-B&C limited harm by only using two kittens
-Maguire’s procedure of an MRI wasn’t harmful and the taxi drivers consented

Question 25

Differences between Maguire and B&C studies

Answer 25

-Had a different species within their samples
-Collected different types of data

Question 26

Elaborate having a different species in their samples

Answer 26

-B&C used two kittens to test the visual cortex
-Maguire tested human adults who were taxi drivers, or the control group

Question 27

Elaborate collecting different types of data

Answer 27

-B&C collected qualitative data by making observation notes on the behaviour of the 5 month old kittens
-Maguire collected quantitative data using VBM and pixel counting to calculate the size of the hippocampus

Question 28

How it has changed our understanding of the key theme of ‘brain plasticity’

Answer 28

Adds to B&C’s findings in confirming that neuroplasticity can also occur in the brain of the humans (specifically in the hippocampus)

Question 29

How it hasn’t changed our understanding of the key theme of ‘brain plasticity’

Answer 29

Doesn’t necessarily show that the visual neurons of humans would show the same kind of neuroplasticity (humans exposed to a limited visual environment may not show the same visual deficits as found in the kittens)

Question 30

How the study has changed our understanding of individual diversity

Answer 30

The MRI scans can allow us to investigate brain plasticity in healthy human participants and reveal individual differences in brain structures as a result of experience

Question 31

How the study hasn’t changed our understanding of individual diversity

Answer 31

It doesn’t tell us about left handed individuals

Question 32

How the study hasn’t changed our understanding of social diversity

Answer 32

It doesn’t tell us about female individuals

Question 33

How the study hasn’t changed our understanding of cultural diversity

Answer 33

Maguire only looked at the brains of London taxi drivers (UK)