Flashcards
Blakemore & Cooper
Cards in this deck (9)
- 1Blakemore & Cooper Background- Cat intelligence = the capacity to learn, solve problems + adapt to its environment
- According to researchers at Tuft uni, physical structure of brains of humans + cats v similar
- HIRSCH & SPINELLI reported that early visual experience can change neural organisation in kittens. Reared kittens with 1 eye, viewing either horizontal or vertical stripes
- B&C began a related project to this but allowed kittens normal binocular vision - 2Blakemore & Cooper Aim- To investigate the development of the primary visual cortex in cats and to find out if some of its properties (such as orientation) are innate or learned
- 3Blakemore & Cooper Sample- Kittens studied from birth
- 2 kittens (1 horizontal. 1 vertical) used to study neurophysical effects - 4Blakemore & Cooper Method- Kittens housed from birth in dark room
- Age 2 weeks - put into apparatus for approx 5 hours per day (tall cylinder covered in black and white lines either horizontal or verticle. Stood on clear glass platform. No edges or corners in environment. Wore black collar to restrict view)
-At 5 months- taken to a small, well lit room with tables + chairs. Their visual reactions observed + recorded
- At 7.5 months- the 2 kittens anaesthetised so neurophysiology could be examined - 5Blakemore & Cooper Results 1) Both groups, initially extremely visually impaired:i) Showed no visual placement when brought up to table. No stable response when item thrusted towards them
ii) Guided selves mainly by touch
iii) Frightened when reached end of surface they were standing on
iv) Only those in horizontal line condition could follow a rod held horizontally. Blind to contours perpendicular to stripes - 6Blakemore & Cooper Results 2) Kittens quickly recoveredAfter 10 hours of normal vision, showed startled responses + Visual planning
- 7Blakemore & Cooper Results 3) HOWEVER:i) Always followed moving objects with clumsy, jerky movements
ii) Often tried to touch moving things well beyond their reach - 8Blakemore & Cooper Results 4) Neurophysiological evidence showed:i) No evidence of severe astigmatism which might have explained behavioural responses
ii) Horizontal plane recognition cells did not ‘fire-off’ in kitten from vertical environment – distinct orientation selectivity, showing kittens suffering from ‘physical blindness’
iii) Almost 75% of cells, binocular, and responses were like a normal kitten - 9Blakemore & Cooper Conclusions1) Visual experiences in early life of kittens can modify brains + have profound perceptual consequences
2) Kittens visual cortex may adjust itself during maturation to the nature of its visual experience
3) Kittens nervous system adapts to match the probability of occurrence of features of its visual input
4) 4) Brain development Is determined by the functional demand made upon it, rather than pre-programmed genetic factors
5) Environment can determine perception at both behavioural + physiological level (at least in cats). Questionable whether results can be generalised to humans
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- A level Psychology (Biological core studies) Flashcards on Blakemore & Cooper, created by Millie Rodgers on 26/04/2017.
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- Millie Rodgers
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