Neuroplasticity
Comprehensive study guide for IB Psychology
Study Notes
Mark Scheme
SECTION A MARK SCHEME (4 marks) Must Include: • Brain reorganizes its structure/function • Long-term potentiation (LTP) mechanism • Repeated activation strengthens synapses • Neural pruning (unused connections eliminate) • Bidirectional brain-behaviour relationship • Structural change example (e.g. Maguire taxi drivers)
Link Formula: "[Behaviour] causes repeated activation (LTP), strengthening neural connections and enlarging [brain region], demonstrating neuroplasticity."
Watch Out: Don't confuse neuroplasticity with "the brain rewiring itself" vaguely. Always explain LTP + pruning. Without structural evidence, you're just describing learning, not neuroplasticity.
SECTION B MARK SCHEME (6 marks) 0 marks: No relevant knowledge. 1–2 marks: Basic definition; minimal application. 3–4 marks: LTP and/or pruning described; partial application to scenario. 5–6 marks: Outstanding definition with LTP, neural pruning, and bidirectional brain-behaviour relationship; gold-standard example (Maguire taxi drivers) used correctly with precise detail (posterior hippocampus, grey matter); explicit causal link between behaviour and structural change.
Why Full Marks
LTP and neural pruning both defined as distinct mechanisms; Maguire taxi driver study used with precise detail (posterior hippocampus, grey matter, "The Knowledge"); bidirectional brain-behaviour framing demonstrates conceptual depth; explicit causal link between spatial navigation and structural change.
Detailed feedback: • Outstanding definition: LTP, neural pruning, and the bidirectional brain-behaviour relationship all included • London Taxi Driver study is the gold-standard example for this topic — used correctly • Posterior hippocampus, grey matter, and "The Knowledge" all demonstrate precise knowledge • Explicit link: "repeated spatial navigation behavior causes structural neuroplasticity" — excellent No significant weaknesses. This is a model answer.
Model Answer
Section A Sample Answer
Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to reorganize its structure by forming or strengthening neural connections in response to environmental demands. This occurs through long-term potentiation (LTP), where repeated activation of a pathway strengthens the synapse, or neural pruning, where unused connections are eliminated for efficiency. This reveals that the brain is a dynamic organ that physically adapts to learning and experience through a bidirectional relationship with behavior.
A classic example is the study of London Taxi Drivers (Maguire). Using MRI scans to compare drivers to a non-driving control group, researchers found that the drivers had significantly more grey matter in their posterior hippocampus. This structural change was associated with the intensive spatial navigation behavior required to master "The Knowledge" (the city's complex street map). This demonstrates how repeated spatial navigation behavior causes structural neuroplasticity in the hippocampus, illustrating the physical adaptation of the brain to behavioral demands.
Section B Sample Answer
Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections in response to the environment, learning, and practice. This is underpinned by Long-Term Potentiation (LTP), where repeated neural firing strengthens synapses, and myelination, which increases the speed of electrical impulses. In the hub, students repeatedly engaging with digital whiteboards activate specific neural circuits. Over time, this repeated stimulation leads to increased grey matter density. Therefore, neuroplasticity may play a significant role in learning by translating the environmental demands of the hub into higher synaptic connectivity and measurable structural changes in the brain.