Blakemore and Cooper

Question 1

Area

Answer 1

Biological

Question 2

What is visual placing

Answer 2

When a cat puts its feet out to feel a surface

Question 3

What is the visual cortex

Answer 3

The part of the brain that processes impulses from the eyes

Question 4

Aim

Answer 4

To investigate how being raised in a virtually restrictive environment would effects the development of cats - including the behavioural consequences and neurophysiological effect

Question 5

What is brain plasticity?

Answer 5

When your brain adapts according to what you do in life

Question 6

Sample

Answer 6

2 kittens from birth to 1 year old

Question 7

Procedure

Answer 7

1. For the first 2 weeks the kittens were kept in a dark room
2. From 2 weeks - 5 months the kittens were put in a striped cylinder for 5 hours a day. The stripes were either vertical or horizontal
3. At 5 months the kittens were taken into a lit room with furniture

Question 8

Experimental design

Answer 8

Independent measures

Question 9

2 behavioural findings

Answer 9

The cats initially showed visual deficits but after 10 hours their startle response returned to normal
The kittens only responded to the rod if it was shaken in the same orientation that they had seen in the cylinder

Question 10

A neurophysiological finding

Answer 10

The visual neurons in the visual cortex had aligned themselves to match the environment the kitten was brought up in (quantitative because it was shown in a scan)

Question 11

Conclusion

Answer 11

Neurons can change their orientation according to the stimulation they receive - showing that the brain can respond to features in its visual input.