Fisher et al. (2005) (Biological)

Question 1

Name and year

Answer 1

Fisher et al. 2005

Question 2

Aim

Answer 2

Investigate the neural mechanisms associated with romantic love

Question 3

Research Method

Answer 3

Correlational study

Question 4

Sample

Answer 4

17 participants aged 18-26 (all self-reportedly to be in love for an average of 7 months)

Question 5

Sample Collection Method

Answer 5

Self-selected

Question 6

Procedure

Answer 6

1. Participants viewed a photo of their romantic partner for 30 seconds
2. Engaged in a distraction task for 40 seconds
3. Viewed a neutral acquaintance’s photo for 30 seconds
4. Performed another distraction tasks for 20 seconds
5. Repeated the above sequence 6 times whilst under fMRI scanning

Question 7

Results

Answer 7

Viewing images of romantic partners activated the right ventral tegmental area (VTA) and caudate nucleus, areas associated with the brain’s reward system and rich in dopamine. This suggests a link between romantic love and the engagement of dopamine pathways linked to reward and motivation.

Question 8

Evaluation

Answer 8

Weakness:
- Bidirectional Ambiguity (correlational study)
- Relatively small sample size, reducing statistical power
- Construct validity on being characterized as intensively in love
- Reductionist, attributing complex emotions like romantic love to specific brain regions and dopamine activity may be an oversimplification. Other factors from different approaches may need to be considered.
Strengths:
- Controlled experimental design by using a within-subjects design
- Can be replicated