Maguire et al - a study of taxi drivers brains

Question 1

what is the method of the study?

Answer 1

• a natural experiment
• MRI scans from 16 licensed male London taxi drivers were compared with a control group who had never driven taxis
• All of the participants were in a good general neurological and psychiatric health and had an average age of 44
• all of the taxi drivers had been working for at least 18 months

Question 2

what are the results of the study?

Answer 2

• the average size of the right posterior hippocampus was significantly larger in the taxi driver group compared to the control group
• additionally the increased size was relative to the length of time the taxi driver had been working
• the longer they’d been working for the larger their right posterior hippocampus

Question 3

what is the conclusion of the study?

Answer 3

the hippocampus is responsible for storing spatial representation of the environment - it seems that the specific navigational demands the taxi drivers have has resulted in psychical change.

Question 4

what is the evaluation of the study?

Answer 4

• The study had a good level of control and could be replicated which meant that it was reliable
• the sample size is small and the results can only be generalised to male taxi drivers in London
• the results cant be generalised to other areas of the brain
• the findings of the study could be used to help those with brain injuries as it shows that the size of structures in the brain can be influenced by cognitive activity