OCR A-Level Psychology: Biological area core studies overview

What the biological area demands

The biological area asks how the brain underpins behaviour, through the localisation of function and the brain's plasticity. OCR examines it on Component 2 and rewards precise knowledge of the four core studies, the ability to evaluate them, and the skill of placing them in the biological area and applying debates such as reductionism and nature-nurture.

This guide covers each core study in order, then the exam patterns, with matching dot-point pages for practice.

Regions of the brain

Sperry (1968) is the classic: split-brain patients showed the hemispheres can work independently, with language left-lateralised, so a left-visual-field stimulus could not be named but could be selected by the left hand. Casey et al. (2011) is the contemporary: a longitudinal fMRI follow-up of Mischel's marshmallow participants linked self-control to greater prefrontal activity in high delayers and more ventral striatum (reward) activity in low delayers.

Brain plasticity

Blakemore and Cooper (1970) is the classic: kittens raised seeing only one orientation of stripes were blind to the other and lacked cortical neurons for it, showing experience shapes the developing brain. Maguire et al. (2000) is the contemporary: London taxi drivers had more posterior hippocampal grey matter, correlated with years of experience, demonstrating adult neuroplasticity.

Check your knowledge

1. Name the structure cut in Sperry's split-brain patients. (1 mark)
2. State which brain region was more active in Casey's high delayers. (1 mark)
3. Explain what Blakemore and Cooper's kittens could not perceive. (2 marks)
4. State the relationship Maguire found with years of experience. (2 marks)