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Mar 22, 2021 · Maguire et al. (2000) Navigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers. Background information: According to Maguire, the role of the hippocampus is to facilitate spatial memory, in the form of navigation.
Maguire’s study is largely interactionist, as it addresses elements of both nature and nurture and how the two interact to cause brain plasticity. For example, she aimed to investigate how environmental experiences and stimuli can cause structural brain plasticity to the innate volume of the hippocampus.
Revision notes on Two Key Studies of Localisation of Brain Function: Maguire (2000) & HM (Corkin 1997) for the SL IB Psychology syllabus, written by the Psychology experts at Save My Exams.
Further investigation of P01 using fMRI revealed that when constructing scenes, he engaged the remnant of his right hippocampus (Mullally, Hassabis, & Maguire, 2012), showing that in some hippocampal-damaged amnesic patients, scene construction may be supported by residual hippocampal function.
- Eleanor A. Maguire, Sinéad L. Mullally
- 2013
- Context
- Key Study: A Comparison of Hippocampal Volumes in Bus and Taxi Drivers in London
- Results
- Conclusions
- Critical Thinking Considerations
One of the most fascinating (relatively) recent discoveries is the idea of neuroplasticity:the brain’s amazing ability to grow and change as a result of different experiences. This is a new, diverse and exciting field in modern neuropsychology. While Milner’s case study on HM (read more here) showed that a cognitive process (e.g. memory) can be alt...
This quasi-experiment compared MRI scans of experienced London taxi drivers to London bus drivers. MRI scans allow researchers to see the shape and structure of the brain. The taxi drivers had all been through “the training”, which involves learning about 25,000 streets in London, thousands of landmarks and learning how to navigate through London w...
The Brains: The researchers examined the scan results to check for differences between the two groups. They found no significant differences anywhere in the brain except for in the hippocampi. In the taxi drivers, the posterior hippocampiwere larger and the anterior hippocampi were smaller than those of the bus drivers. The Cognition: Not surprisin...
This study provides us with one example of neuroplasticity – because it was a tightly controlled quasi-experiment we are able to draw causal conclusions with some confidence that it was the experience of driving taxis that caused changes to the taxi drivers’ hippocampi. It also gives us an example of how and why MRIs are used in modern studies invo...
How does this study demonstrate neuroplasticity? (Application)What does this study show about the relationships between the brain and behaviour? (Application)What are the strengths and limitations of this study? (Evaluation)Maguire (2000) Uses: Neuroplasticity / Experimental Method (quasi-experiment) / Imaging technique (MRI) Aim: to investigate how the brain structure of London taxi drivers is different from the average brain.
important role of the hippocampus is to facilitate spatial memory in the form of navigation (1). Increased hippocam-pal volume relative to brain and body size has been reported in small mammals and birds who engage in behavior requiring spatial memory, such as food storing (2).
