Plasticity Flashcards
(10 cards)
What is plasticity?
The brain’s ability to change and adapt according to new experiences and new learning
What does this mean for existing neural connections?
Plasticity means existing neural connections can change/new neural connections can form, resulting from new experiences
Who did the research into london taxi drivers using MRI scans?
Maguire et al
Outline the research by Maguire et al
Maguire et al. used MRI scans to study the brains of 16 London taxi drivers. She then, using a control group, compared any structural differences that appeared in the scans
What were Maguire’s findings?
During the research Maguire found that part of the cab driver’s training was taking a complex test which assessed their recall of the city streets and possible routes. This explained why Maguire found significantly more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than in the matched control group.
What is a limitation of Maguire et al’s research? (no testing prior)
Absolute certainty cannot be establish that the difference in grey matter would be due to the “knowledge” as the cab drivers weren’t tested prior. Therefore the cab drivers could have already had this pre - existing information. However the positive correlation between experience and structure makes this less likely
What is a limitation of Maguire et al’s research? (small sample size )
Maguire’s correlation study was conducted on a small sample size. As a result, the findings cannot be generalised as we do not know if all taxi drivers would have had a larger hippocampus
What is a strength of Maguire et al’s research? (experimental design)
The design used by Maguire was appropriate. By using a matched control group Maguire was allowed to state that the difference was significant between taxi drivers and the others.
EXAM APPLICATION: Explain why an unrelated t test was the most appropriate for Maguire et al’s investigation (4 marks)
The investigation looked at the difference between taxi drivers and a control group. It used independent measure design as each participant went through a brain scan only once. Lastly the MRI scans allowed Maguire to collect interval data
Outline the research from Draganski et al into 3 medical students
Draganski studied the brains of 3 medical students before and after their final exams. Learning - induced changes were seen to have occurred in the posterior hippocampus and the parietal cortex presumably as a result of the exam. This supports the idea of plasticity because there were changes to the hippocampus in the students
