chap. 12

Question 1

Define the term Emotion and give some caracteristics.

Answer 1

• The term emotion originally derives from the Latin word emovere which means to “move out” or agitate
• This movement or action explains why the word “motion” is included in the word emotion. The choice of term suggests that emotions propel us into motion or cause us to act
  → this action urge is often hardwired
• Emotions are inextricably tied to motivation
  → p.ex: if you don’t have any anxiety at all relating to an exam, you won’t study because there’s nothing driving you to reduce that anxiety
• Not all aspects of emotions are consciously experienced
  → we typically feel only one conscious emotion at a time

Question 2

Define the term affect and give some caracteristics.

Answer 2

• Used to describe an unconscious evaluative reaction toward a specific object or event
• Kind of a gut feeling that tells you if something is negative or positive

Question 3

Define the term mood and give some caracteristics.

Answer 3

• Mood is a generalized affective state that does not clearly link to a specific object or event
  –> Whereas we feel an emotion or affect toward a particular target (“I love my dog” or “I dislike broccoli”), we often don’t really know why we are in a good or bad mood. We just “wake up on the wrong side of the bed” for no particular reason
  → affect and mood can be brought to the consciousness, but only when we really look into it and evaluate the feeling

Question 4

Differentiate emotions, affect and mood with examples.

Answer 4

Emotions: Conscious evaluative reaction to a specific object or event
- p.ex: Darrion interviews 3 candidates for the DM position, the first 2 don’t impress him but he likes the third and how she is smart, professional and friendly
Affect: Unconscious evaluative reaction toward a specific object or event
- p.ex: When Jason meets Ashley on their blind date, he immediately doesn’t like her, he can’t explain why, it’s just a bad feeling.
Mood: Generalized affective state that does not clearly link to a specific object or event
- p.ex: When Martha meets her friend for lunch, she immediately snaps at her, her friend did nothing, but Martha woke up feeling cranky

Question 5

When thinking about what causes emotions, what is the common sense view?

Answer 5

• Stimulus (see bear) –> Emotion (feel fear) –> Behaviour run away)

Question 6

Explain the James-Lange biological theory of emotion.

Answer 6

• Stimulus (see bear) –> Behaviour (run away) –> Emotion (feel fear)
• Asserts that emotions are a direct result of a physiological response
  –> Behaviour is an automatic response that would then cause emotions
• Emotions do not serve a direct motivational function because they are just our mind’s interpretation of our body’s automatic response

Question 7

The bodily responses that precede emotions occur as a result of the ___ ___ system

Answer 7

Autonomic nervous

Question 8

What is the Autonomic nervous system and its caracteristics?

Answer 8

• Part of the peripheral nervous system that maintains homeostasis by controlling visceral responses like heart rate and pupil dilation without our conscious awareness
• 2 systems that work with each other to maintain homeostasis
  1) Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) prepares the body for action in fight-or-flight situations by increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension, and by slowing down digestion so it can divert blood flow to where the body needs it most (i.e., brain and muscles)
  2) Parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) functions when the body is at rest by storing energy in the body, reducing heart rate and blood pressure, and increasing digestion

Question 9

How does the ANS come into play with the James-Lange theory?

Answer 9

• According to the James-Lange theory, when a fearful stimulus is present, it automatically activates our sympathetic nervous system, which in turn results in the emotion of fear
  → proposes that different physiological activations would produce different emotions
  → p.ex: anger and tense muscles, embarrassment and flushed cheeks

Question 10

What concepts did the contemporary support for the James-Lange theory develop?

Answer 10

• Embodied cognitions: physical changes in the body can alter the way people think & behave
  → p.ex: associating darkness with bad behaviour, thus when people wear sunglasses, they may engage in more careless behaviour or immoral acts
• Embodied emotions: physical changes in the body can alter the way people feel
  → p.ex: how guilt can be washed away (baptism), or washing hands as a symbolic way of washing away the immoral act you committed
  → p.ex: receiving good news, your body will change and in experiencing this, you may feel positive emotions in connection to this physical change

Question 11

What were Walter Cannon’s criticisms of the James-Lange theory?

Answer 11

1) Physiological changes occur slowly and could not account for the immediacy with which emotions are experiences
→ p.ex: if someone calls you a derogatory name, you would feel angry much quicker than the temperature rising in your body representing this anger
2) Little evidence to support the assertion that specific bodily changes produce specific emotions
→ there is a flaw in saying that one specific bodily change induces only one specific emotion

Question 12

What does the facial feedback hypothesis state?

Answer 12

• That different facial movements cause different emotions
• Making yourself smile vs. frown will cause you to enjoy a cartoon more or less

Question 13

Explain the Cannon-Bard biological theory of emotion.

Answer 13

• Emphasize the importance of the thalamus, an area of the brain that regulates sleep and alertness and acts like a switchboard for nerve impulses
• When a visual stimulus (image of a bear) activates the thalamus, it splits this electrical signal and sends it in two different directions
  –> One to emotion, the other to behaviour simultaneously
  –> Thus neither causes one or the other, they both happen at the same time
• This theory is the most supported by data

Question 14

Contrary to the biological perspective, what does the cognitive perspective state about emotions and behaviours?

Answer 14

• assert that people’s thoughts and appraisals are what cause emotion and behaviour
  → the thought comes first, like in cognitive-behavioural therapy

Question 15

Explain the Schachter-Singer cognitive labeling theory.

Answer 15

• Emotions are caused by the combination of 2 components: physiological arousal and a cognitive label
• According to their theory, activation produces a generic pattern of physiological arousal (e.g., increased heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating) regardless of what emotion is experienced
• When you start to feel your arousal increase, your mind tries to determine the cause of this arousal by scanning your
  environment
• So the way your mind labels the generic arousal is what determines which emotion you experience
  –>p.ex: if you were holding your newborn baby for the first time when you experienced the arousal, you would assume the cause is the baby, and you know you’re feeling joy
• Your mind’s interpretation of the event is what leads to feeling a particular emotion

Question 16

What is misattribution of arousal?

Answer 16

• Part of Schachter-Singer’s cognitive labelling theory
• The possibility of being “tricked” into feeling a particular emotion when the arousal is unexplained because there is no clear explanation for it in the immediate situation
• When this occurs, people can be manipulated into feeling a particular emotion by providing
  them with a particular cognitive label for the arousal

Question 17

Explain the misattribution of arousal using the adrenaline shot study.

Answer 17

• When you arrive at the lab, the experimenter tells you the purpose of the study is to examine how a vitamin injection called Suproxin impacts people’s visual skills. The experimenter then gives you the injection and provides you with some information about the potential side effects, which include numbness and itching
  → Informed condition: Participants in this group were given correct information about the injection’s expected side effects (e.g., increased heart rate and shakiness)
  → Misinformed condition: Participants in this group were given incorrect information (e.g., numbness and itching)
  → Uninformed condition: Participants in this group were not told anything about side effects
• Next, all participants were then left in a room for 20 minutes with a
  student who was actually working with the experimenter (i.e., a
  confederate) and who had been instructed to act happy. At the end of the
  study, participants were asked to rate how they felt during the interaction
• Participants who were either misinformed or uninformed about the side effects reported the strongest positive emotions (because they attributed the effects of the adrenaline to the happy person rather than the injection)

Question 18

What does Lazarus’ appraisal theory explain?

Answer 18

• States that two major questions determine our emotional experiences
  1) Primary appraisal: the first question (or “appraisal”) that people ask themselves when they encounter a stimulus is, “Is this stimulus good, bad, or irrelevant to my wellbeing?”
• If you deem the situation irrelevant, you don’t get any arousal and thus don’t need to go to secondary appraisal
  2) Secondary appraisal: We then ask “Do i have the ability to cope with the consequences of this event?”
• If the individual is able to successfully cope with the event, then arousal is reduced and the emotional episode ends
• But if the individual is unable to
  cope, a high level of arousal remains and the emotion continues

Question 19

How does the Triune model divide the parts of the brain?

Answer 19

1) Reptilian brain: oldest part of the brain
→ just survival, fight or flight
→ breathing, heartbeat regulation, basic motor skills
2) Mammalian brain
→ limbic system
→ feelings and memory formation
3) Human brain (cortex)
→ most recent evolutionary part
→ what allows you to think clearly and rationally, higher mental functions

Question 20

What part of the brain is considered integral to the production of emotions?

Answer 20

Anterior cingulated cortex

Question 21

What are the functions of the ACC?

Answer 21

• Bridge between emotion and cognitions (thus not 2 distinct constructs)
• role is to detect conflict between responses, and it is particularly likely to be activated when the individual is failing to achieve a desired outcome and the resulting negative emotions must be controlled
  → p.ex: goal is to complete a puzzle and you can’t find a piece, your ACC is activated and you become frustrated because you need to pay attention to the problem

Question 22

True or false: Being able to describe or name an emotion allows us to regulate the actual emotional response.

Answer 22

True

Question 23

Most biological theorists believe there are __ emotions total because of the physiological response associated to each.

Answer 23

6; or somewhere between 3 and 10

Question 24

What do cognitive theorists believe about the amount of emotions?

Answer 24

• They believe there is an infinite amount of emotions because there are an infinite number of ways that people can
  perceive and appraise a stimulus

Question 25

What are the criteria for core emotions?(3)

Answer 25

1) Innate rather than learned
- biologically programmed and are emerged without any cultural influence
2) Expressed in a distinct way
- p.ex: specific facial expression, body language, non-verbal cues
- can foster our sense of belonging
→ if we show that we’re sad then people are able to comfort and help
3) Universal to all human beings
- triggers can vary but the underlying emotional response and its expression remains consistent

Question 26

What was Ekman’s research on core emotions?

Answer 26

• facial action coding system (FACS)
• universal facial expressions
• distinct pattern of physiological responses that are associated with specific responses
• critiques: lacks empirical evidence
  → especially in identifying concealed emotions

Question 27

What was Plutchik’s research on core emotions?

Answer 27

• According to Plutchik, a core emotion should serve a unique evolutionary motive
  → when you’re experiencing one of these emotions, there should be a purpose behind it
• Eight primary emotions and their corresponding evolutionary motives:
  → Anger (destruction), joy (reproduction), anticipation (exploration), sadness (reunion), disgust (rejection), surprise (orientation), fear (protection), trust (affiliation)

Question 28

How do positive emotions differ from negative emotions?

Answer 28

1) Specific versus nonspecific responses
- negative emotions produce specific responses, while positive emotions produce non-specific responses
- p.ex: fear makes us want to escape, but joy doesn’t induce any type of specific response
- positive emotions are associated with lack of action (more calm and relaxed)
2) Physical versus cognitive responses
- negative emotions: run away when we’re afraid or punch someone when angry
- positive emotions: when we feel joy or pride we don’t do something physical
→ rather it’s cognitive

Question 29

What is Fredrickson;s broaden-and-build theory?

Answer 29

1) Positive emotions broaden our attention and thoughts
- the more we enjoy something, the more likely we are to explore it and learn more about it
- can improve our cognition and boost our creativity
- direct contrast to negative emotions which narrow our thoughts to the present
2) Positive emotions help us build resources
- resources: physical, intellectual, social, psychological
- this build-up can enhance our overall well-being and resilience
→ these emotions help you bank in resources to use when faced with challenges (thus more resilience)

Question 30

Define emotion regulation.

Answer 30

→ refers to how people try to influence which emotions they experience, when they experience them, and how they express them
→ allows you to control your emotions rather than letting them control you

Question 31

What are the ways to regulate emotion according to the Modal model of emotion regulation?

Answer 31

1) Situation selection
2) Situation modification
3) Attentional deployment
4) Cognitive change
5) Response modulation

Question 32

Elaborate on situation selection of the Modal model.

Answer 32

• Involves seeking out situations that would likely result in desirable emotions and avoiding situations that would result in undesirable emotions
• So before we even enter into the emotion-inducing situation, we can start to control our emotions
• p.ex: if you think visiting your family for Thanksgiving is going to
  cause anger and resentment, then you may want to skip the trip this year
• Problem with this: it promotes avoidance, you’re not building your abilities to handle the situation at hand which is problematic for people prone to anxiety

Question 33

Elaborate on situation modification of the Modal model.

Answer 33

• Changing the situation to direct it to a different situational outcome
  → p.ex: calling your friend’s partner by the wrong name, you feel really bad, so you tell a story about how bad your memory is, and it eases the tension

Question 34

Elaborate on attentional deployment of the Modal model.

Answer 34

• shifting internal environment
• redirecting attention away from the emotional aspect (distraction)
  → p.ex: feeling anxious about being at the dentist, so to decrease this feeling, you distract yourself by watching whatever show they’re playing

Question 35

Elaborate on cognitive change from the Modal model.

Answer 35

• changing the meaning of a situation
  → involves asking yourself if there’s another way to think about the situation
  → you might still feel the same emotion but at a lesser degree
• p.ex: you are cut off by another driver and you have to quickly hit your brakes
  –> Thought: “What a jerk! He doesn’t care about anyone but himself!”
  –> Emotion: Anger
  –> Alternative thought: Maybe the other driver is rushing to the hospital for a friend
  –> Alternative emotion: Sympathy

Question 36

Elaborate on response modulation from the Modal model.

Answer 36

• changing your behaviour or physiological response to decrease the intensity of the emotion
• you do it once the emotion has already been activated
  → p.ex: deep breathing, meditation, calming music, anything that elicits rhythm
  → anything to appease and regulate sympathetic nervous system

Question 37

An unconscious evaluative reaction toward a specific object or event is called…

Answer 37

Affect

Question 38

Jon walked into his job interview and accidentally spilled hot coffee all over the person interviewing him. According to modern research, Jon’s interviewer has likely experienced ________ and will misattribute his ________ to Jon’s skills.

Answer 38

unpleasant arousal; negative emotions about the coffee spill

Question 39

Negative emotions produce ________ responses, while positive emotions produce ________ responses.

Answer 39

specific; non-specific

Question 40

Renee is extremely disappointed that her artwork didn’t win an award at the show. She is also frustrated because the judge is related to the winner, and she feels like it was a biased decision. When she learned this information, Renee wanted to scream about how unfair it was, but she was able to control her emotions and deal with them in healthy ways. Renee demonstrated good…

Answer 40

emotion regulation