AO3

• Localisation Pros:

  • Case study - Patient Tan had Broca's Aphasia, then had a post mortem examination caused the identification of Broca's area and the foundation of localisation of brain functions
  • supporting evidence - Tulvig, using a PET scan, he discovered that semantic memories are recalled in the left prefrontal cortex whereas episodic memories in the right demonstrating localisation
• Localisation Cons:

  • Individual differences - Herasty (1997) found that women have larger Broca and Wernicke's areas than men --> beta bias
  • Equipotentiality Theory - Lashley (1930) motor and sensory functions were localised but higher mental functions are localised by the cortex suggesting that functions aren't localised to one region --> biologically reductionist
• Plasticity Pros:

  • Research support - Kuhn found a significant increase in grey matter in the brain after ppts played video games for 30mins --> structural change in brain
  • Further research support - Maguire found London taxi drivers had a larger grey matter in the hippocampus than average people as their memory is so good
  • Practical application - understanding plasticity has led to development of neurorehabilitation using motor therapy and electrical stimulation
• Plasticity Cons:

  • limit to spontaneous functional recovery - after trauma, the brain activates neural circuits to recover (law of equipotentiality), but can only recover to a certain point until motor therapy is required. Lieperta found that after Constrain therapy motor performance of stroke patients increased
• Maguire (2000):

  • Aim: to examine structural change can be detected in the brain
  • Procedure: MRI scans of 16 right handed male London taxi drivers vs 50 healthy right handed males
  • Results: increased grey matter in the hippocampus of taxi drivers
• Sperry & Gazzaniga (1967):

  • had 11 ppts that had undergone a commissurotomy complete a series of tasks to see how each hemisphere functions