Core Studies: Blakemore and Cooper

• What did they study?

  Classic study of development of the brain, dependent on the visual environment.
• What is B+C’s background part 1?

  1. Brain plasticity is ability of brain change based on environmental demands
  2. bio psychologists interested in studying cats as their brain similar structure human brain, can adapt to new environment quickly
• B+C background part 2?

  3. Hirsch and Spinelli: early visual experiences can change their visual cortex eg when exposed to vertical and horizontal environ (one in each eye), neurones plasticised to match the orientation

  4. B+C wanted to expand on this by showing kittens either a horizontal or vertical environ with both eyes to assess their brain plasticity
• Aim of B+C?

  Investigate development of primary visual cortex in cats, find out if some of its properties such as orientation selectivity are innate or learned
• Research method?


  lab experiment
• Sample 


  two kittens from birth, one in horizontal condition and one in vertical condition
• B+C findings 


  (quan) show physical blindness in rate at which neurones fire in plane recognition cells- horizontal neurone cells didn‘t fire in kitten from vertical environ and vice versa

  (qual) behavioural blindness- kittens raised in horizontal environ so couldn’t detect vertically aligned objects (eyes didn’t follow rod) and vice versa
• What was B+C procedure?


  Kittens raised in dark room from birth, from two weeks old were put in cylinder for five hours a day. Contained black and white vertical or horizontal stripes. No corners and the upper/lower limits were out of the kittens’ view. Couldn’t see own bodies due to black collar restricted view to 130*. Research stopped at 5 months (despite permanent visual impairments possible from 3 months). Kittens taken to small lit room for few hours a week and visual+physical reactions recorded. At 7.5 months two kittens anaesthetised so neurophysiology examinable.
• What did B+C conclude from study?

  1. visual experiences in early life of kittens can modify their brains and show functional brain plasticity
  2. a kittens visual cortex may adjust itself during the critical period to the nature of its visual experience
  3. the environment can determine perception at both a behavioural and physiological level (at least in cats)