Blakemore and Cooper

• Background

  How flexible are our brains and can they change size to accommodate new information.

  Neuroplasticity - idea that brain can change in response to external stimuli
• Aim

  Test whether a kitten raised in environment consisting of only horizontal or vertical stripes would develop normal vision.

  Test whether brain plasticity occurs due to experiences rather than nature
• Design

  • Lab experiment
  • Controlled artificial environment
  • New born kittens immediately placed in dark room
  • IV - horizontal or vertical
  • DV - whether horizontal kittens could detect vertically designed objects and vice versa
• Procedure

  • kittens stand on clear platform inside tall cylinder ( 2m )
  • Inner surface covered in either horizontal or vertical stripes
  • spotlight on the lid
  • spent 5 hours a day in here
  • Wore a balk collar so was restricted to 130 degrees, they could only see stripes and they didn't seem distressed
  • After 5 months they were placed in a well lit room, furnished for several hours a week
  • By this time they will have passed through critical stages for visual development
  • After 7.5 months 1 kitten from each condition examined
• Controls

  • identical visual environment apart from the IV
  • the cylinder and the same diameter and length
  • They spent the same amount of time in the cylinder
• Results

  • showed no startle response when object thrust towards them
  • No visual placing when brought up to a table top
  • Guided way around room by touch and showed fear response when reached what they were walking to
  • After 10 hours deficit disappeared
• Differences between horizontal and vertical kittens

  • 1 sheet of black and white presented. if it was the wrong orientation they would have no response. If it was the right orientation for them they would have a startle respone
  • A rod was shaken and if it was shaken horizontally then only the horizontal kitten would repsond and vice versa.