Core Study - Maguire et Al;(Key information for a few of the Core Studies
featured on the Psychology OCR AS Level specification.)
What was the aim of Maguire et al's study? Ans - To investigate whether changes (plasticity) could be detected in the brains of London taxi drivers and to further investigate the functions of the hippocampus in spatial memory.
What was the hypothesis of Maguire et al's study? Ans - If there were any differences in
the brains of those who rely heavily on spatial navigational skills in their working life, then these differences would be found in their hippocampus.
Outline the sample used in Maguire et al's study. Ans - - 16 healthy, right handed male licensed taxi drivers
- Mean age 44 (range 32-62 years)
- All participants licensed London taxi drivers for more than one and a half years and had completed the knowledge course - Control group of 16 non-taxi drivers, matched on age range of taxi drivers
Name a limitation of the sample Ans - Sample does not include women or left-handed people. This is a limitation as there are likely to be female London taxi drivers, and it may be that female navigational ability may be different from males due to stereotype views about female drivers. This means that any conclusions drawn will not be representative of all London taxi drivers and so the study cannot be generalised of the whole population.
What was the experimental method of the study? Ans - Quasi experiment - IV was not manipulated by the experimenter as it already existed within participants.
Outline the procedure of the study Ans - MRI scans were performed (by measuring soft tissue by exposing the brain to a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed pictures of the brain).
Name a strength and weakness of MRI scans Ans - Strength - Objective, and provides quantitative data
Weakness - Only observes structure, doesn't tell active function of the brain
What methods did the researchers use to analyse the images produced from the MRI scans? Ans - VBM - Measures density of grey matter in the brain. It provides a three-
dimensional measurement of the volume of an area.
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