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Maguire et al.

Maguire et al. (2000)

Aim:

To investigate whether or not the hippocampus plays a role in human spatial memory

Procedure:

•      London taxi drivers with a range of age and experience were the participants because their work requires the extensive use of spatial navigational skills

•      Matched pairs design: participants were age and gender matched with a control group

•      Two different types of MRI scanning were used to assess how the brains of the taxi drivers differed from the control group

Results:

•      Taxi cab drivers showed significantly more grey matter in both left and right hippocampi compared to the control group

Evaluation:

•      No researcher bias

•      No ethical implications

•      Only observed males

•      Only observed 16 matched pairs