Participants learned how to get to a pole in a virtual game, and was then put in a different location and asked to get to the same pole again. There was an interval of 30s and they were told to actively rehearse how to get to the pole.
Participants
20s males
Control group
Placebo injection
Experimental group
Given scopolamine injection (blocks acetylcholine neurotransmitter activity)
fMRI brain imaging
Shows which parts of the brain were active in the encoding and utilisation of spatial memory.
Results
Scopolamine led to a reduction in hippocampus activity - acetylcholine has an influence in making and using spatial memory.
Strengths
Manipulating technology to improve accuracy of results, high internal validity, double blind (no researcher bias).
Limitations
Limited age range (participants) - not ecologically valid
