3.22 The amygdala and memory. The amygdala is a
brain structure involved in the processing and memory of
emotional reactions. In a research project, 10 subjects were
shown emotional video clips. Their brains were then
scanned with positron emission tomography (PET), and
their memory of the video clips was assessed quantitatively.
Here are the relative amygdala activity and the memory
score for each subject:14
Relative activity: -0.417 -0.258 -0.234 -0.249 -0.156
Memory score
31
29
29
30
33
Relative activity: -0.031 0.120 0.240 0.342 0.654
Memory score
32
31 35
34
33
(a) Make a scatterplot that shows the relationship
between relative amygdala activity and memory score.
(b) Describe the form of the relationship. Is there a linear
pattern? How strong is the relationship? Compute the
correlation coefficient.
(c) Is the direction of the association positive or negative?
Explain in simple language what this suggests about the
involvement of the amygdala in the memory of emotional
events.