Essay
neuroplasticity IB psychology (9 mark essay)
- Module
- Psychology
- Institution
- Bexley College (London)
Neuroplasticity essay for IB psychology
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Neural networksExplain neural networks using one study
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to alter its own structure in response to changes within
the brain or the external environment. Brain plasticity refers to the brain’s capacity to
reorganize the structure of its neurons. Neuroplasticity occurs in the brain at the beginning of
life as the immature brain organizes itself. It also occurs in cases of brain injury to
compensate for lost functions and continues through adulthood when learning something
new. Brain plasticity tends to decrease around the age of 25. Neural connections are
relationships between neurons that form when you think, feel, or do something new. A neural
pathway is the repeated use of these neural connections, while neural pruning is the
weakening of unused pathways. This essay will provide a detailed account of neural
networks, including reasons for their formation, using the study by Draganski as an example.
The aim of Draganski’s study was to investigate how the structure of an adult human brain
alters in response to environmental demands when learning a new motor skill. The research
method used by Draganski was a field experiment with a sample of 24 participants,
comprising 21 females and 3 males. The participants underwent a structural MRI scan to
observe the effect of learning-induced plasticity on brain structure. They had an MRI scan
prior to learning to juggle, then juggled for 3 months with a 60-second routine, followed by a
second MRI scan. The participants then ceased juggling for 3 months and had a final MRI
scan. The results showed that when the participants juggled for 3 months, two regions of the
brain responsible for the retention of visually detected movement increased in size; this
difference decreased when the participants stopped juggling.
Draganski Demonstrates Neural Networks. This can be observed in the enlargement of
two brain regions associated with the retention of visually detected movement while the
participants were juggling for three months. This is significant because, as the participants
were learning a new motor skill (juggling), neural connections formed in the brain. Over the
three-month period, the participants’ practice of juggling strengthened these neural
connections, forming neural pathways. This resulted in a physical change in the brain,
causing an increase in the size of these regions. Therefore, this demonstrates the formation
and strengthening of neural connections.
Neural Pruning:
Draganski’s study demonstrates the effect of neural pruning on brain structure. For instance,
there was a decrease in the volume of the two regions associated with the retention of
visually detected movement when the participants stopped practicing juggling. This is
significant because when the participants ceased learning to juggle, the neural pathways
that had previously formed began to weaken, creating a physical change in the brain and
causing a decrease in brain size. Therefore, neural pruning has an impact on the brain.
Neuroplasticity:
Draganski also demonstrated neuroplasticity in the motor and visual regions of the brain. For
example, there was an increase in the volume of two brain regions associated with the
retention of visually detected movement information when learning. This is crucial because
as the participants continued juggling for three months, more neural connections were
formed in the areas of the brain responsible for the retention of visually detected movement,
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