Psychology - Core Studies - Maguire (2000)

title?

“Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi-drivers,”

aim?

to show the activity of the brain to change and adapt as a response to learning

method?

Lab Experiment

design?

quasi, independant groups,

participants?

Experimental Group:

• 16 RH M,

• 32-62 years,

• licensed for 1.5 - 42 years,

• at least 2 years “Knowledge”

• all healthy

Control Group:

• 50 RH M,

• 32-62 years,

• healthy,

• all had been previously scanned and had data on MRI database,

procedure?

MRI Scans:

• 24 slices of hippocampus -

  • 6 Posterior,

  • 6 Anterior,

  • 12 Hippocampal Body,

• Voxel-based Morphometry, 3D measurement of volume of grey matter,

• Pixel Counting, number of pixels occupied by hippocampal tissue is converted to a volume that is then corrected for Total Intracranial Volume,

those examining the scans were condition blind,

results?

VBM → increase in both the left and right posterior hippocampal volume in TD cf NTD, decrease in left and right anterior hippocampal volume in TD cf NTD, no difference in overall volume,

Pixel Counting → NTD had higher volume in right anterior and hippocampal body than left,

Correlation → as time as TD increased volume of grey matter in Posterior Hippocampus increased (positive) and grey matter in Anterior Hippocampus decreased (negative),

conclusions?

• environmental cognition can alter physiology as stimulation can affect brain structure (neuroplasticity),

• Posterior Hippocampus → previously learnt information,

• Anterior Hippocampus → new experiences are encoded,

usefulness?

important to give brain as much stimulation as possible in development,

brain damage - use other neural pathways and relearn/regain functions,

have a postive mindset especially in teenagers - training in education,

validity?

face → grey matter counts measure the ability of the brain to change,

construct → the longer a taxi driver the greater the shift of grey matter,

concurrent → 2 measures of grey matter counts - VBM and Pixel Counting had similar results

ecological → measures changes in brain due to lived experiences - low but not demand characteristics/changes in volume to artificial environment,

temporal → further research into brain plasticity - applications to brain damage and development,

reliability?

internal - 1 experienced individual carried out all brain scans creating consistency in measures of hippocampal volume,

external - limited as the test wasn’t repeated, however there were multiple analysers,