Biopsychology and Emotions Flashcards
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
- “Rest and Digest” system
- Saves energy and prepares for the body’s later needs
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
Prepares the body for emergency/fight-or-flight activity
Does the perception of a dangerous stimulus activate the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system more?
There is a mix of both activity in situations where a person perceives something as being a danger
* Parasympathetic nervous system regulates the body when making an effort to avoid the threat, but if the threat becomes more eminent, the sympathetic nervous system activity will increase
Emotions and autonomic responses in people with pure autonomic failure:
In absence of autonomic responses, individuals still report having emotions. However, the emotions are more logic and situational based (Cognitive emotion)
Emotional autonomic responses in those with damage to the right somatosensory cortex:
Normal autonomic responses to emotional media (music) but little subjective experience
Emotional autonomic responses in those with damage to part of the prefrontal cortex:
Weak autonomic responses but normal subjective responses
Can one identify someone’s emotion by measuring autonomic activity?
No. Respiratory function rates (heart, breathing) increase in response to heightened emotions, but it is not possible to distinguish the exact emotion
How is the limbic system important for emotion?
- Amygdala
- Cerebral Cortex
True or False: Brain hemisphere activity levels are correlated with positive/negative emotions and extroversion/introversion
True
How is brain anatomy important to one’s ability to successfully identify emotional expressions?
Axons connecting the frontal cortex to the anterior temporal cortex
* Disruptions in axon tract: correlated with psychiatric conditions characterized by poor social relationships
* Better connections between frontal cortex and anterior temporal cortex: Better at recognizing facial expressions
How do some people with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex react to moral dilemmas?
- More likely than average to choose a utilitarian option
- Feel less emotional response to situations that usually would induce one
- This is more common in those whose damage occurred in childhood
What brain activity influences decisions on moral dilemmas?
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex
* Compares utilitarian (cognitive) information and expected emotional outcome
What have brain damage studies suggested about emotional reactions in association with moral decision-making?
Emotional reactions are often a useful “quick guide” to what is deemed appropriate moral actions
What are the hemispheric differences between frontal and temporal areas?
- Frontal and temporal areas of the left hemisphere: Approach and behavioral activation system
- Frontal and temporal areas of the right hemisphere: Behavioral inhibition system and impulse regulation through inhibition
What is a suspected difference between heredity/environment in deviant behaviors?
- Impoverished areas: More environmental
- Wealthier areas: More genetic predisposition
