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1848 Phineas Gage Accident & Brain Scan Techniques

Before advances in cognitive neuroscience, case studies like the 1848 Phineas Gage accident gave insights into the localisation of function in the brain.

1848 Phineas Gage accident

1848 Phineas Gage accident

  • Phineas Gage suffered a horrendous accident when he was 25.
  • An iron tamping bar went through his eye socket and came out the top of his head.
  • He survived the accident but underwent a personality change. His frontal lobe was damaged - this area of the brain is involved in decision-making, social behaviour and impulse control.
  • Before advances in cognitive neuroscience, it was case studies like this that gave insights into the localisation of function in the brain.
Techniques used in brain scans

Techniques used in brain scans

  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET).
  • Event Related Potentials (ERPs).
  • Magnetoencephalogram (MEG).
  • Electroencephalography (EEG).
  • Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).

Maguire et al (2000) - Study on Taxi Drivers’ Brains

Maguire et al (2000) studied London taxi drivers to discover whether changes in the brain could be detected as a result of their extensive navigational experience.

Procedure

Procedure

  • A natural experiment.
  • Using an MRI scanner, the researchers calculated the amount of grey matter in the brains of taxi drivers and a set of control participants.
Results & conclusions

Results & conclusions

  • Results
    • The posterior hippocampi of taxi drivers were significantly larger relative to those of controls and posterior hippocampal volume was positively correlated with the amount of time they had spent taxi driving.
  • Conclusion
    • This demonstrates brain plasticity. The structure of the brain can change in response to the demands placed upon it.
Jump to other topics
1

Social Influence

2

Memory

3

Attachment

4

(2026 Exams) Psychopathology

5

(2027 Exams) Clinical Psychology & Mental Health

6

Approaches in Psychology

7

Biopsychology

8

Research Methods

8.1

Research Methods

8.2

Scientific Processes

8.3

Data Handling & Analysis

8.4

Inferential Testing

9

Issues & Debates in Psychology (A2 only)

10

Option 1: Relationships (A2 only)

10.1

Relationships: Sexual Relationships (A2 only)

10.2

Relationships: Romantic Relationships (A2 only)

10.3

(2026 Exams) Relationships: Virtual (A2 only)

10.4

(2027 Exams) Relationships: Online (A2 only)

11

Option 1: Gender (A2 only)

12

Option 1: Cognition & Development (A2 only)

13

Option 2: Schizophrenia (A2 only)

14

Option 2: Eating Behaviour (A2 only)

15

Option 2: Stress (A2 only)

16

Option 3: Aggression (A2 only)

17

Option 3: Forensic Psychology (A2 only)

18

Option 3: Addiction (A2 only)

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