Maguire et al. (2000)

Useful for?

Useful for?

Localization, BST, and neuroplasticity.

Method

Quasi experiment with MRI (correlational study)

Aim

To investigate neuroplasticity in the brain of London taxi drivers, and further explore the functions of the hippocampus in spatial memory.

Participants

• 16 healthy, right handed male taxi drivers between the ages of 32-62, and between 1.5-42 years of experience.

• 50 healthy, right handed males (not taxi drivers)

Procedure

• MRI scans were compared between the two groups

• Researchers correlated the # of years of experience with the MRI scan results

Findings

• Taxi drivers had an increased grey matters in the posterior hippocampus vs the control group

• The control group had more grey matter in the anterior hippocampus

• There was a positive correlation between the years of experience and grey matter in the posterior hippocampus

Strengths

• Natural experiment: high ecological validity

• Control group present

• Clear variables allow for replicability

Limitations

• Natural experiment: low control of confounding variables

• Small sample size