AS LEVEL PSYCHOLOGY (9990) CASE
STUDIES EXAM.
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Define the key terms in this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -- Evolution: the
process of natural selection of offspring which have inherited
characteristics that make them most likely to survive.
- Genes: inherited instructions that are passed on from parents to children
that control our development and influence some aspects of our thinking,
behaviour and emotions, such as our personality and intelligence. One way
this can happen is by affecting brain function.
- Correlation Coefficient: a number between -1 and 1 which shows the
strength of a relationship between two variables with a coefficient of -1
meaning there is a perfect negative correlation and a coefficient of 1
meaning there is a perfect positive correlation.
- Physiological: to do with the biological processes in the body (e.g.
hormones).
- Valence: when discussing emotions this refers to the attractiveness
(positive valence) or aversiveness (negative valence) of an event, object or
situation.
- Foil: an unknown or unseen object that is used as a control when testing a
participant's memory.
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the aim of this study - CORRECT ANSWER -General aims:
- Canli et al. aimed to show that emotive images will be remembered better
than those that have little emotional impact on an individual.
,- The central questions addressed by this study were whether the amygdala
is sensitive to varying degrees of emotional intensity to external stimuli and
whether the level of intensity enhances memory for the stimuli.
Specific aims:
1. To investigate whether an area of the brain called the amygdala is
sensitive to different levels of intensity to emotions based on subjective
emotional experiences. 2. To investigate whether the degree of emotional
intensity affects the role of the amygdala in aiding memory recall of stimuli
classed as being "emotional".
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the hypothesis for this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -- Directional
hypothesis: the more arousing an image is the more likely it is to be
remembered, as the amygdala will be more active when the pictures aren't
'tranquil'.
- Null hypothesis: the emotional intensity will not affect memory and any
findings are all due to chance.
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the procedure (method) for this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -1.
During scanning, participants viewed a series of 96 scenes that were
presented via an overhead projector and mirror to allow them to see it
while in the fMRI scanner.
2. All of the participants had given informed consent to be involved in the
study and were aware of the nature of the experiment. The individuals who
were operating the fMRI scanner were fully trained and competent in the
safety arrangements that should be followed during a medical scan.
3. All of the 96 scenes were from the 'International Affective Picture
System' stimuli set.
,- For the scenes used in this study, average ratings for valence ranged from
1.17 (highly negative) to 5.44 (neutral).
4. The order of scenes were randomised across the participants, with each
picture presented for a period of 2.88 seconds.
5. There was then an interval of 12.96 seconds, where participants viewed a
fixation cross.
6. Participants were instructed to view each picture for the entire time that
it was displayed, and after its replacement with a fixation cross they were to
indicate their emotional arousal by pressing a button with their right hand.
7. Participants had to choose from four buttons to indicate emotional
arousal on a scale from 0 Cnot emotionally intense at all') to 3 ('extremely
emotionally intense').
8. To measure activity in the brain, fMRI data were collected by a 1.5 Tesla
fMRI scanner, which was used to measure blood-oxygen level-dependent
contrast.
- Contrast imaging is a method used in fMRI to observe different areas of
the brain which are found to be active at any given time. 2.3 1.5T General
Electric Signa MR imager as used in the research
9. Three weeks after the first stage, participants were tested in an
unexpected recognition test in the laboratory.
10. During this task they viewed all of the 96 previous scenes and 48 new
scenes (
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the research method used for this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -
Laboratory experiment: fMRI scanner used to track the activity of the
amygdala (the part of the brain that is largely associated with emotion and
memory). It can thus be described as a laboratory experiment because we
are in control of tracking the actual activity of the participant's brain and
, also the fact that they are in an unusual environment that is different to
average day-to-day life.
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the IV, DV & CV for this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -- IV: level of
perceived emotional arousal.
- DV: fMRI measure of level of amygdala activation, memory of scene after
three weeks (0-3, not emotionally intense at all to extremely emotionally
intense).
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the sampling technique & size and experimental design for this case
study - CORRECT ANSWER -- Sampling technique: volunteer sample
- Sampling size: ten right-handed, healthy female volunteers (females were
chosen because it was thought that they were more likely to report intense
emotional experiences and show more physiological reactions to the
stimuli).
- Experimental design: repeated measures design (participants contributed
to each of the four conditions depending on their rating of each).
*note: Participants took breaks between each 'stimuli' they were shown in
order to avoid the effects of order effects because otherwise, the
participants' response to neutral stimuli may become affected if they are
continuously viewing negative stimuli. They may also not be phased by the
negative stimuli anymore if they are continuously being exposed to it.
- Randomising the order of stimuli helps to overcome order effects, so that
seeing one type of stimulus doesn't effect the response to stimuli that follow
in a systematic way.
STUDIES EXAM.
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Define the key terms in this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -- Evolution: the
process of natural selection of offspring which have inherited
characteristics that make them most likely to survive.
- Genes: inherited instructions that are passed on from parents to children
that control our development and influence some aspects of our thinking,
behaviour and emotions, such as our personality and intelligence. One way
this can happen is by affecting brain function.
- Correlation Coefficient: a number between -1 and 1 which shows the
strength of a relationship between two variables with a coefficient of -1
meaning there is a perfect negative correlation and a coefficient of 1
meaning there is a perfect positive correlation.
- Physiological: to do with the biological processes in the body (e.g.
hormones).
- Valence: when discussing emotions this refers to the attractiveness
(positive valence) or aversiveness (negative valence) of an event, object or
situation.
- Foil: an unknown or unseen object that is used as a control when testing a
participant's memory.
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the aim of this study - CORRECT ANSWER -General aims:
- Canli et al. aimed to show that emotive images will be remembered better
than those that have little emotional impact on an individual.
,- The central questions addressed by this study were whether the amygdala
is sensitive to varying degrees of emotional intensity to external stimuli and
whether the level of intensity enhances memory for the stimuli.
Specific aims:
1. To investigate whether an area of the brain called the amygdala is
sensitive to different levels of intensity to emotions based on subjective
emotional experiences. 2. To investigate whether the degree of emotional
intensity affects the role of the amygdala in aiding memory recall of stimuli
classed as being "emotional".
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the hypothesis for this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -- Directional
hypothesis: the more arousing an image is the more likely it is to be
remembered, as the amygdala will be more active when the pictures aren't
'tranquil'.
- Null hypothesis: the emotional intensity will not affect memory and any
findings are all due to chance.
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the procedure (method) for this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -1.
During scanning, participants viewed a series of 96 scenes that were
presented via an overhead projector and mirror to allow them to see it
while in the fMRI scanner.
2. All of the participants had given informed consent to be involved in the
study and were aware of the nature of the experiment. The individuals who
were operating the fMRI scanner were fully trained and competent in the
safety arrangements that should be followed during a medical scan.
3. All of the 96 scenes were from the 'International Affective Picture
System' stimuli set.
,- For the scenes used in this study, average ratings for valence ranged from
1.17 (highly negative) to 5.44 (neutral).
4. The order of scenes were randomised across the participants, with each
picture presented for a period of 2.88 seconds.
5. There was then an interval of 12.96 seconds, where participants viewed a
fixation cross.
6. Participants were instructed to view each picture for the entire time that
it was displayed, and after its replacement with a fixation cross they were to
indicate their emotional arousal by pressing a button with their right hand.
7. Participants had to choose from four buttons to indicate emotional
arousal on a scale from 0 Cnot emotionally intense at all') to 3 ('extremely
emotionally intense').
8. To measure activity in the brain, fMRI data were collected by a 1.5 Tesla
fMRI scanner, which was used to measure blood-oxygen level-dependent
contrast.
- Contrast imaging is a method used in fMRI to observe different areas of
the brain which are found to be active at any given time. 2.3 1.5T General
Electric Signa MR imager as used in the research
9. Three weeks after the first stage, participants were tested in an
unexpected recognition test in the laboratory.
10. During this task they viewed all of the 96 previous scenes and 48 new
scenes (
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the research method used for this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -
Laboratory experiment: fMRI scanner used to track the activity of the
amygdala (the part of the brain that is largely associated with emotion and
memory). It can thus be described as a laboratory experiment because we
are in control of tracking the actual activity of the participant's brain and
, also the fact that they are in an unusual environment that is different to
average day-to-day life.
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the IV, DV & CV for this case study - CORRECT ANSWER -- IV: level of
perceived emotional arousal.
- DV: fMRI measure of level of amygdala activation, memory of scene after
three weeks (0-3, not emotionally intense at all to extremely emotionally
intense).
1.1 CANLI ET AL. (brain scans and emotions)
Recall the sampling technique & size and experimental design for this case
study - CORRECT ANSWER -- Sampling technique: volunteer sample
- Sampling size: ten right-handed, healthy female volunteers (females were
chosen because it was thought that they were more likely to report intense
emotional experiences and show more physiological reactions to the
stimuli).
- Experimental design: repeated measures design (participants contributed
to each of the four conditions depending on their rating of each).
*note: Participants took breaks between each 'stimuli' they were shown in
order to avoid the effects of order effects because otherwise, the
participants' response to neutral stimuli may become affected if they are
continuously viewing negative stimuli. They may also not be phased by the
negative stimuli anymore if they are continuously being exposed to it.
- Randomising the order of stimuli helps to overcome order effects, so that
seeing one type of stimulus doesn't effect the response to stimuli that follow
in a systematic way.
