Chap 11 Flashcards
What are Darwin’s 3 suggested principles of emotion?
- Serviceable habits
- Antithesis
- Direct action of the excited nervous system on the body
What are some examples of the serviceable habits principle of emotions? Do humans count in this?
Serviceable habits could be dogs bearing their teeth. Generally serviceable habits are found in only non-human animals.
What is the second Darwin principle of emotion? What does it entail?
The principle of antithesis says that opposite emotions have opposite bodily expressions.
What is the third Darwin principle of emotion? What does it entail?
The principle of direct action of the nervous system on the body describes the idea that emotions have direct influence on the nervous system activity eg the reddening face of an angry person.
What are the two old theories on emotion? Lightly describe them.
- James and Lange theory (1884) believe that instead of expressing emotions after experiencing them, the immediate reaction to the experience is the emotion action itself, which would then be sent to and processed as feelings in the brain after.
- The Cannon-Bard thalamic theory of emotions claims that we feel and express emotions at the same time.
What is basic emotion theory?
A theory derived off Darwin’s work that states that distinct emotions and their responses unfold over time in a predictable pattern without attention or intention.
What are Cannon’s 3 big problems with James’ theory?
- Cutting off the central nervous system should stop emotion, it does not.
- Different responses should happen in relaxed and emotional states, but something like heart rate increases when emotional, or when not emotional as well.
- Internal structures should be more sensitive to stimulus, but they are not.
What happens in the brain with the Cannon-Bard theory?
The thalamus mediates emotional response and then tells the cortex.
What is a large supporting postulate of the Cannon-Bard theory?
Emotions can be felt “in the rest of the body” without physical muscular response. Heart rate changes and endocrine shifts are examples of this.
What are the three large observations that provide evidence of the thalamus controlling emotional response?
- Rage is evoked when the cerebrum is removed (in front of the thalamus), but when the thalamus is removed it goes away.
- Tumors on different sides of the thalamus cause different emotions.
- Anesthesia or impairment of the thalamus produces unregulated crying or laughing.
Why do we unintentionally reveal emotions sometimes?
Some parts of emotional face muscles are uncontrollable.
What is an action unit?
A detectable facial movement
What two sets of emotions have similar action units?
Fear and surprise both have raised eyebrows and an o shaped mouth
disgust and anger have narrowed eyes, and downwards mouth pointing
What are the 4 culturally common minimal facial expressions?
happy, anxious, surprise, disgust
What hemisphere of the brain categorizes facial expression? What is the exception to the rule?
The left, until there is experimental experience when the right is activated as well.
What other category of reading emotion actions are there?
Body language
What is emotional contagion?
When one person observes an emotion and then experiences it themselves.
