Draganski (2004)

https://student.thinkib.net/psychology/task/815199

Aim

To see whether learning a new skill would affect the brains of participants.

Procedure

Participants who didn’t know how to juggle had an MRI scan at the start of the study. They then were allocated to one of two conditions: jugglers and non-jugglers (control group). The jugglers were taught a three-ball cascade juggling routine and asked to practice then notify the researchers once they had mastered it. After mastering it, they had a second MRI scan. They were then told not to juggle anymore and were scanned for the third time 3 months later. The researchers used VBM.

Results

First scan: No significant regional differences.

Second scan: Jugglers had a significantly larger amount of gray matter in the mid-temporal area in both hemispheres (associated with visual memory).

Third scan: Amount of gray matter in these parts decreased.

No change throughout the study in the non-juggling sample. It appears that juggling relies more on visual memory than procedural memory.

Evaluation