# Neuroplasticity

> IB Psychology · IB Psychology 2027 First Assessment
> Source: https://www.owlsprep.com/study/ib-psychology-bio-neuroplasticity/

Neuroplasticity and its role in human behaviour.

## Learning objectives

- Neuroplasticity and its role in human behaviour.

## How often is this tested?

Based on OwlsPrep's analysis of official CIE IB_PSYCH P1 past papers (2019–2025): **Neuroplasticity** appears **7 times** in the last 7 years — **3.1%** of all P1 questions (7 of 228).

Most-tested forms: SAQ: Describe (9 marks) (4), SAQ: Outline (9 marks) (3).

## Core concept

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change its structure and connections in response to experience — strengthening pathways that are used, pruning those that are not, and sometimes reassigning functions after damage or deprivation. It shows the brain is shaped by environment rather than fixed at birth, which is why enriched or deprived experience leaves physical traces in the tissue.

## Key studies

IB Psychology answers must be supported by named studies. Learn these to cite as evidence:

**Blakemore & Cooper (1970)** — Kittens raised seeing only vertical (or only horizontal) lines developed visual cortices tuned to that orientation and were behaviourally 'blind' to the other. — *Experience physically shapes cortical wiring — experience-dependent plasticity.*

**Bach-y-Rita et al. (1969)** — Blind participants using a 'tactile television' that turned camera images into vibrations on the back learned to recognise objects and located them in external space. — *Sensory substitution — the brain reorganises to perform a visual task through touch.*

## Evaluation (AO3)

**Strength — converging evidence & application** — Animal and human studies agree, and plasticity underpins rehabilitation after brain injury.

**Limitation — bounded, and animal-heavy** — The strongest invasive evidence is animal or small-N, and plasticity has limits: critical periods mean deprivation past a window may not reverse (cf. Genie).

## Scope

> **note**
>
> The mechanism and evidence for plasticity are the focus; its developmental version (pruning, critical periods) is elaborated in Human development.

## Common pitfalls

- **Wrong:** Plasticity means the adult brain can rewire without limit, at any time.
  - Why it fails: A frequently penalised misconception in IB Psychology exams.
  - Correct: Plasticity is real but bounded — greatest in development, constrained by critical periods, and slower or only partial in adults.

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From [OwlsPrep](https://www.owlsprep.com) — free study guides for A-Level, IB, AP and IGCSE, written against the official syllabus. Canonical page: https://www.owlsprep.com/study/ib-psychology-bio-neuroplasticity/