Canli et al

Question 1

What is the background of the study?

Answer 1

1. Emotional experiences are often better recalled than non emotional ones
2. Amygdala appears to play a critical role in the enhancement of emotional memory
3. Found significant correlation between amygdala activation related to emotional stimuli and subsequent memory

Question 2

Why did the previous study suggest amygdala appears to play a critical role in memory?

Answer 2

Because patients with damaged amygdala do not remember emotional better than neutral ones

Question 3

What are the problems with previous studies? How did Canli change this?

Answer 3

Previous study used independent group, difference could be due to individual differences between pps

Now wanted to use a repeated measures design to test phasic response

Question 4

What are the two aims of the study?

Answer 4

1. Whether amygdala is sensitive to varying degrees of experienced emotional intensity
2. Whether the degree of emotional intensity affects the role of the amygdala in enhancing memory for the stimuli

Question 5

Describe the sample used and sampling technique

Answer 5

• 10 right-handed female (gynocentric sample)

- volunteer sample

Question 6

Why only used female?

Answer 6

• -> more likely to report intense emotional experiences

- -> show more physiological reactivity

Question 7

Describe the IV

Answer 7

Intensity of the emotional arousal to each of the 96 scenes that were presented to each ppt

Question 8

Describe the DV

Answer 8

• amygdala activation measured by fMRI

- and measure of memory when pps had to recognise the image 3 weeks after

Question 9

What is fMRI?

Answer 9

Measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow

Area of high activity receive more oxygenated blood

Question 10

Describe the procedure (inside fMRI)

Answer 10

• saw 96 scenes for 2.88s each
• in randomised order
• all scenes from IAP, had been rated for valence and arousal
• with 13s interstimulus interval, viewed a fixation cross
• rate their emotional arousal by buttons from 0 to 3

Question 11

What does high/low valence, and high/low arousal represent?

Answer 11

Low valence = negative / high valence = neutral

Low arousal = tranquil / high arousal = highly arousing

Question 12

Why is there interstimulus interval?

Answer 12

It acts like a control to bring the pps emotion back to baseline, so the next scene won’t be affected by the previous scene shown

Question 13

What does 0-3 on the buttons represent?

Answer 13

0=not emotionally intense at all

3=extremely emotional intense

Question 14

When was the unexpected test?

Answer 14

Three weeks after

Question 15

Describe the procedure in the unexpected test

Answer 15

–> They viewed all of the previously seen and 48 new scenes (foils)

–> Pps were asked whether they had seen each picture before

–> Report whether they remembered with certainty (“remember”), or had a less certain feeling of familiarity (“know”), or forgotten, indicated by (1, 2, 3 respectively)

–>A correlation map was created to correlate brain activation with pps arousal ratings and memory scores

Question 16

What are the characteristics of the foil?

Answer 16

Foil were selected to match with previously presented scenes in their valence and arousal characteristics

Question 17

How is the headmovement of pps minimised?

Answer 17

By a bite bar using which was formed with each pps dental imprints

Question 18

How was the procedure standardised?

Answer 18

Images are all from IAPs

Told to view each picture for the ENTIRE time that it was displayed

Question 19

What are the controls?

Answer 19

Press the button using right hand, because they are right-handed

Randomised order
(so order of presentation did not affect the emotional experience and emotional intensity ratings of the participants)

MRI used, tells us brain activity without bias

Question 20

What are the results? (memory, amygdala activation, correlation)

Answer 20

Memory performance was significantly better for scenes that were rated as highly emotionally intense than rated less intense

Amygdala activation was bilaterally correlated with higher ratings of individual experienced emotional intensity

Correlation between amygdala activation and memory grew stronger as subjects experienced greater emotional intensity

Question 21

What are the conclusions? (Is it sensitive, memory? intensity?)

Answer 21

The amygdala is sensitive to individually experienced emotional intensity of visual stimuli

The activity in left amygdala during encoding is predictive of subsequent memory

The degree to which amygdala activation enhances the memory is in relation to the emotional intensity of the stimuli