Draganski (2004) - Psychology | International Baccalaureate

Name of Researcher

Draganski

Year of Publication

2004

Aim

To investigate if learning a new skill affects the brain.

Research Method

True Experiment (Field)

Participants and Procedure

Participants = 24 Volunteers

1. An MRI scan was made to see density in the participants’ brains at the start.

2. Random Allocation:

3. Jugglers were asked to practice with three balls, notifying the researchers when they had mastered juggling and an MRI scan was made.

4. They were told to stop juggling for 3 months, and afterward a final MRI scan was made.

Results

Using a VBM to analyze density in the brains, when the jugglers had mastered juggling the density was significantly larger than at the start. When they had stopped juggling their brains had returned to normal.

Conclusion

Learning a new skill does in fact affect the brain, however not repeatedly using a skill will lead to neural pruning and return it to normal.

Strengths

+ Pre- and Post-Test Design —> Difference
+ Cause-and-Effect
+ Control Group

Limitations

- Questionable Internal Validity
- Small Sample —> Difficulty Generalizing Findings