London taxi drivers develop a different part of the brain

AFP News Agency
12 Apr 201302:23

Summary

TLDRLondon's iconic black cabs are driven by individuals with extraordinary spatial memory, honed through rigorous training. Without GPS, drivers navigate the city's complex streets, a skill that has intrigued scientists studying their hippocampus. The 'knowledge', a test requiring memorization of 25,000 streets, takes an average of three years to master, with a 30% dropout rate. This intense training results in a highly developed spatial memory, yet the challenge remains for these memory experts to learn new routes post-training.

Takeaways

  • 🚌 London's black cabs are renowned for their iconic red color and are a staple of the city's transportation, with around 20,000 in circulation.
  • 🧠 The drivers of these cabs are known for their exceptional spatial memory and navigational skills, often without the use of GPS.
  • 🧭 The hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with spatial memory, is found to be particularly developed in London cab drivers due to their extensive knowledge of the city's layout.
  • 🏫 Training to become a London taxi driver is rigorous, involving memorization of 25,000 street names and locations, and can take up to three years to complete.
  • 📚 The training process includes learning the names and locations of important roads, which are color-coded for easier memorization.
  • 🎓 Only a small percentage of trainees, approximately 30 percent, successfully complete the training and obtain their license.
  • 🤔 The training and the 'knowledge' test require the use of memory techniques to efficiently learn and recall the vast amount of information.
  • 🧐 The script suggests that once the training is over, it may become more challenging for these drivers to learn new routes, indicating a potential saturation of their spatial memory.
  • 🏙️ The knowledge of London's streets is not just a job requirement but also a testament to the cognitive abilities of the drivers, highlighting the brain's adaptability to complex tasks.
  • 🔍 Scientific research has been conducted to study the brains of London cab drivers, revealing insights into the relationship between spatial memory and the hippocampus.

Q & A

  • What distinguishes London's black cab drivers from other drivers?

    -London's black cab drivers are distinguished by their extensive knowledge of the city's complex street patterns and their ability to navigate without the aid of GPS.

  • How does the hippocampus in the brain relate to the profession of a black cab driver?

    -Research shows that working as a black cab driver develops the hippocampus, a part of the brain linked to spatial memory and learning through the description of place cells.

  • What is the 'knowledge' that London taxi drivers must acquire before gaining their license?

    -The 'knowledge' refers to the grueling training London's taxi drivers undergo to memorize the names and locations of 25,000 streets where London's population live and work.

  • What is the average duration for aspiring cabbies to complete their training?

    -Aspiring cabbies take an average of three years to complete their training.

  • What is the dropout rate among those who undertake the training to become a black cab driver?

    -Almost 30 percent of aspiring cabbies drop out during their training.

  • How do the trainee cab drivers use memory techniques to learn the 'knowledge'?

    -Trainee cabbies use memory techniques to learn the 'knowledge' by memorizing the names and locations of streets, and they often study intensively to retain this information.

  • What is the significance of the colored roads in the training of black cab drivers?

    -The important roads in London are colored yellow and orange, which helps the trainee cab drivers to learn and memorize them as part of their training.

  • How does the training of black cab drivers affect their spatial memory?

    -The training results in an unusually developed spatial memory, as scientific studies suggest that the hippocampus, responsible for spatial memory, is enhanced through this process.

  • What challenges do black cab drivers face after their training is over?

    -After their training, black cab drivers face the challenge of learning new routes, which becomes harder due to the extensive 'knowledge' they have already acquired.

  • What is the atmosphere like at the schools where London taxi drivers are trained?

    -The atmosphere at the schools where London taxi drivers are trained resembles a university library, with students undergoing six hours of intense training per day.

  • How does the script describe the process of navigating as a black cab driver?

    -The script describes the process as instinctive and stress-free, with drivers having a conditioned brain that thinks about the quickest routes to get passengers to their destinations.

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Ähnliche Tags
London CabbiesSpatial MemoryNavigation SkillsHippocampusCognitive TrainingStreet KnowledgeMemory TechniquesUrban ExplorationTransportationBrain Research
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