In the argument section, Shenk talks about the taxi drivers in London who have, “a greatly enlarged posterior hippocampus” (35). The experiment took place in London by Eleanor Maguire in 1999. She found out that, “the longer the driving career, the larger the posterior hippocampus” (35). In other words as taxi drivers gained experience driving through the streets of London they were spatially learning the streets which enlarged the part of the brain which specializes for spatial skills.
How do you think the GPS is affecting the brains of the new generation of taxi drivers who might not need to learn as much information as the generation that did not have access to GPS? Do you think taxi drivers have a better sense of direction in an unfamiliar setting then another person with a less developed hippocampus? Does having a larger hippocampus help the individual have an easier time learning another skill?Is it possible that taxi drivers just memorize where the streets are or do you think the create a cognitive map in their mind to aid them when driving? Try looking in chapter 51.2 to refresh the different styles of learning
Ayana Dambaeva (adambaeva@gmail.com)
How do you think the GPS is affecting the brains of the new generation of taxi drivers who might not need to learn as much information as the generation that did not have access to GPS? Do you think taxi drivers have a better sense of direction in an unfamiliar setting then another person with a less developed hippocampus? Does having a larger hippocampus help the individual have an easier time learning another skill?Is it possible that taxi drivers just memorize where the streets are or do you think the create a cognitive map in their mind to aid them when driving? Try looking in chapter 51.2 to refresh the different styles of learning
Ayana Dambaeva (adambaeva@gmail.com)
Obviously in this technologically advanced society, our brains have become more dependent on computerized tools such as the GPS. The point of the GPS is so that one doesn't need to work as hard to recall directions or spatial representations; therefore, I think that the newer generation of taxi drivers would not have as large of hippocampi –at least not from a longer driving career. This is also assuming that their career used a GPS the entire time. Another study led by NYU professor, Wendy Suzuki, discovered that there is a memory signal specific for the well-learned information” (“Scientists Show Hippocampus’ Role…”). Thus even with a GPS, if there was a particular road that a driver encountered many times, that information will eventually be stored in the hippocampus. However, I don’t think that just because someone already has a larger hippocampus necessarily means he will have a better sense of direction in an unfamiliar setting. In the evidence section, Maguire wrote that “the posterior hippocampus is more involved when previously learned spatial information is used, whereas the anterior hippocampal region may be more involved during the encoding of new environmental layouts” (Shenk 199), so it depends largely on which part of the hippocampus.
ReplyDeleteI think humans differ from animals in that we continue learning unlike animals which learn during a critical period, usually very early in their lives. For example, bees simply remember “same” and “different” and certain songbirds learn one song to attract mates and use the same song their entire lives (Campbell 1128-1129). People go through experiences throughout their entire life that could contribute to a larger hippocampus volume. Taxi drivers obviously weren’t taxi drivers since youth, they must have been at least in their pre-adulthood, yet their directional skills as well as memorization of streets/roads can still be exceptional, like those in London. Maguire’s study also suggests that the posterior hippocampus does create a sort of “mental map” that the taxi drivers use.
This topic reflects the theme of the relationship between structure and function as it also explains how the brain is not fixed, but can continue growing. The increase in tissue volume of the hippocampus correlates to the navigational skills of a taxi driver based on how long his driving career is.
outside source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040513010413.htm
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