Canli et al. (brain scans and emotions) Flashcards
What is the aim of this study?
To find whether emotive images will be better remembered than pictures with little emotion
to find whether the amygdala is sensitive to different levels of emotional intensity to external stimuli, and whether the level of emotional intensity enhances the memory of that stimuli.
What is the background of this study?
There are 2 types of medical scans:
1. functional scans show activity levels in different areas of the brain
2. structural scans take detailed pictures of the brain structure
this study uses an fMRI machine which detects blood flow in the brain to show how the brain works during different tasks
the amygdala is located. in the brains temporal lobe. it is responsible for the processing of emotion and storing of memory
Canli found that strong amygdala activation resulted in improved memorisation of the causing stimuli. he wanted to replicate the study with repeated measures design rather than independent to make sure that the initial results were not due to chance
what was the research method, design and the variable?
a laboratory experiment was conducted
the repeated measures design was implemented as participants were unexpectedly asked to repeat the procedure after 3 weeks
IV: level of arousal each picture shown
1. not emotionally intense at all: 1 and 2
2. extremely emotional intense: level 3 and 4
DV: fMRI measure of amygdala activation. for each of the 96 scenes, 11 frames were captured
memory of the scene after 3 weeks
What was the sample for this study?
10 right handed healthy female volunteers. females were chosen as they wild be more likely to report emotional experiences and show physiological reactions to the stimuli. the self selecting sampling technique had been used
What was the procedure for this study?
Participants gave informed consent and were aware of the nature of the study. individuals operating the fMRI scanner were trained and competent in the safety arrangements of the medical scan
participants viewed 96 scenes presented to them while in the fMRI scanner. all 96 scenes were from the “affective picture system” stimuli set. for the scenes used, the valence ratings ranged from 1.17 (highly negative) to 5.44 (neutral). the order of scenes was randomised (to help overcome order effects). each picture was presented for 2.88 seconds and there was an interval of 12.96 seconds where they viewed a fixation cross. during this, participants had to indicate their emotional arousal by pressing a button with their right hand. they had to choose from 4 buttons on a scale of not emotionally intense at all - extremely emotionally intense
to measure activity in the brain, fMRI data were collected by a Tesla fMrI scanner, which is used to measure blood oxygen level dependant contrast. contrast imaging observes the different areas of the brain which are found active at any given time
3 weeks after, participants were tested in an unexpected recognition test. they viewed the 96 scenes and 48 foils. foils were selected to match previous scenes’ valence ratings. participants were asked to judge whether they had remembered it, felt it was familiar, or forgotten it.
what were the results of this study?
The correlation between participants intensity rating and valence was -0.66
the correlation between participants intensity rating and arousal was 0.68
therefore, participants ratings of emotional intensity reflected well the valence and arousal characteristics of the stimuli
amygdala activation was significantly correlated with higher ratings of individually experienced emotional intensity
follow up memory task indicated that memory performance was better or scenes rated as highly emotionally intense than for scenes rated as less emotionally intense
the degree of left amygdala activation predicted whether the stimuli would be forgotten, appear familiar, or would be remembered
What was the conclusion of this test?
Canli found an association between individual experiences of emotional intensity for stimuli with amygdala activation and memory. the more emotionally intense an image is, the more likely it will be remembered
the amygdala is sensitive to individuals’ experienced emotional intensity of visual stimuli. the activity is the left amygdala during encoding is predictive of subsequent memory
What were the strengths and weaknesses of this study?
It was a lab experiment, there were standardised procedures (participants rated the same scenes, the time each scene was presented, and the interval was the same). hence, there is internal validity, and fewer chances of confounding variables affecting the study
quantitative data relating to amygdala activation and statistical analyses such as correlational analysis were collected. therefore, the data is reliable and easy to compare
however, this task isn’t ecologically valid. participants did not respond to demand characteristics which increases validity
fMRI measures biological responses which is an objective finding as the researcher does not have to interpret any results. however, we do not one much about the locations of specific behaviours in the brain
the sample only consisted of right handed females therefore this introduces participant variables that could distort results and reduce validity. thus we cannot really generalise results to males and left handed individuals as they may respond differently
nature vs nurture in this study?
machines such as fMRI have been used to measure biological processes underlying emotions are a product of the brain and hormones. however, there are differences between individuals’ emotional responses. differences can be due to hormone levels or experiences
individual and situational experiences?
our tendency to cry at sad films indicate that situational factors matter in our expression of emotions. although individual factors are present here too (not everyone cries at the same film)
