Navigationrelated structural change in the hippocampi of cab drivers. Start studying maguire et als study of taxidrivers brains 2000. Changes in london taxi drivers brains driven by acquiring the knowledge. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Navigationrelated structural change in the hippocampi of. For many years work in nonhumans birds, small mammals suggested that animals who were particularly reliant on having a good spatial memory for foodstoring, or with large territories had a larger hippopotamus. The knowledge, londons legendary taxidriver test, puts. In a study in 2000 read more here, maguire showed that experienced male london taxi drivers had different structured hippocampi than a control group of non taxi driving males. A biophyics researcher recently asked this of a cognitive science researcher.
In may, londons guardian newspaper pitted a cabbie against a satnavequipped driver from uber, the new taxi company thats taking the worlds cities by storm by allowing passengers to book. There was also a positive correlation between the number of years driving experience the taxi drivers had and how much their hippocampi volume i. The taxi driver study was inspired not so much by one previous paper, but by a whole set. Neuroscientist eleanor maguire of university college london u. Taxi drivers had a significantly greater volume in the posterior. How driving a taxi changes london cabbies brains wired. Taxi drivers had bigger hippocampus than normal because of the increase in neurons and the connections between those assumed to literally have a spatial map laid out in their brains. Introduction eleanor maguire, a neuroscientist at the university college.
In a lengthy study, eleanor maguire and katherine woollett from the neuroimaging center at university college london followed a group of 79 trainee taxi drivers and 31 controls who werent in. A structural mri and neuropsychological analysis eleanor a. The use of a group of taxi drivers with a wide range of navigating experience permitted an examination of the direct effect of spatial experience on brain structure. Maguire has won a number of prizes for outstanding contributions to science, including. London taxi drivers are therefore ideally suited for the study of spatial navigation. Changes in london taxi drivers brains driven by acquiring. Licensed london taxi drivers show that humans have a remarkable capacity to acquire and use knowledge of a large complex city to navigate within it.
From previous studies pre maguire it was impossible to know whether differences in brain anatomy are predetermined, or whether the brain is susceptible to plastic changes, in response to environmental stimulation in this case driving a taxi. Hippocampal volume correlated with the amount of time spent as a taxi driver positively in the posterior and negatively. Knowledge girls are issued a copy of the socalled blue book. Taxi drivers undergo extensive training, known as the knowledge and therefore make an ideal. The knowledge, londons legendary taxidriver test, puts up a fight in the age of gps. The taxidriver study got splash precisely because it suggested and framed an. Immediately download the taxi driver summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching taxi driver.
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