PAPER 2 - BIOPSYCHOLOGY - brain plasticity

Question 1

what is brain plasticity?

Answer 1

• ability to change and adapt synapses, pathways and structures due damage from trauma (brain damage)
• e.g. learning and memory involve brain plasticity

Question 2

what can brain plasticity also be called?

Answer 2

neuroplasticity

Question 3

what was the study by Maguire (2000)

Answer 3

• studied London taxi drivers to see whether changes in the brain are down to their experience of extensive spatial navigation
• researchers compared brains of taxi driver with control group using MRI
• findings indicated a larger hippocampus in taxi drivers compared to control
• hippocampal volume positively correlated to years as a taxi driver

Question 4

what are the evaluation points of the study by Maguire?

Answer 4

• supports brain plasticity
• quasi experiment (couldn’t randomly allocate participants, so no C & E)
• shows difference in size of specific areas of the brain
• human participants
• real life experiences

Question 5

what was the study by Kuhn (2014)?

Answer 5

• compared control group and training group (trained 2 months for at least 30 mins per day on super mario)
• findings showed significant increase in grey matter in various brain areas: cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum
• this wasnt evident in control group
• concluded that video game training resulted in new synaptic connections brain areas involved in spatial navigation, strategic planning, working memory and motor performance

Question 6

what are the evaluation points for the study by Kuhn?

Answer 6

• supports brain plasticity
• lab experiment so Kuhn could randomly allocate participants and manipulate the IV
• stronger evidence for brain plasticity than Maguire

Question 7

what was the study by Boyke?

Answer 7

• wanted to investigate brain plasticity in older adults to see if the decline can be reversed
• investigated plasticity in 60 year olds by observing effect on brain of being taught new skill (juggling)
• found increase in grey matter in visual cortex
• however when practising stopped, changes were reversed

Question 8

what evaluation points are there from Boyke’s study?

Answer 8

• supports brain plasticity
• only short term
• controlled study
• important real world application