Chapter 10 Flashcards
Lecture 4
affective neuroscience
the subfield within cognitive neuroscience that is concerned with understanding emotional
aspects of brain function
limbic system theory
The theory, developed by Paul MacLean in the 1940’s, positing that structures of the limbic forebrain constitute a system that generates emotions.
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
emerges following
exposure to a traumatic stressor that elicits feelings of fear, horror, or helplessness in response to bodily injury or threat of death to oneself or another person
emotion
A set of physiological responses, action tendencies, and subjective feelings that adaptively engage humans and other animals to react to events of biological and/or individual significance.
Basic emotions
taken to be innate, pan-cultural, evolutionarily old, shared with other species, and expressed by particular physiological patterns and facial configurations
complex emotions
are learned, socially and culturally shaped, evolutionarily new, most evident in humans, and typically expressed by combinations of the response patterns that characterize basic emotions
arousal
the physiological and/or subjective intensity of the emotion
valence
The degree of pleasantness of a stimulus
vector models
A way to graphically represent the relationships among emotions by ordering them along two orthogonal axes of positive and negative valence
circumplex model
A way to graphically represent the relationships among emotions by ordering them along the circumference of a circle formed by intersecting two orthogonal axes of valence and arousal at the circle’s center
What are the three information-processing stages?
(1) the evaluation of sensory input;
(2) the conscious experience of a feeling state;
(3) the expression of behavioral and physiological responses
startle response
a protective musculoskeletal reflex elicited by intense and unexpected sensory stimuli (e.g., a flash of light or a loud noise). Such stimuli interrupt ongoing thoughts and behavior to evaluate the location and significance of the sensory input
parasympathetic division
Sometimes referred to as the “rest and digest” system. The component of the autonomic motor system that mediates restorative metabolic functions.
sympathetic division
Sometimes referred to as the “fight or flight” system. The component of the autonomic motor system that contributes to the mobilization of energy to prepare the body for action.
James-Lange theory
A theory, developed by William James and Carl Lange in the 1880’s, positing that emotions are determined by the pattern of feedback from the body periphery to the cerebral cortex.
hypothalamus
A collection of small but critical nuclei in the diencephalon that lies just inferior to the thalamus;
governs reproductive, homeostatic, and circadian functions.
thalamus
A collection of nuclei that forms the major component of the diencephalon. Has many functions;
a primary role is to relay sensory information from the
periphery to the cerebral cortex.
sham rage
An emotional reaction elicited in cats by electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus, characterized by hissing, growling, and attack behaviors directed randomly toward innocuous targets.
Cannon-Bard theory
Also called diencephalic theory. A theory of emotion, developed by Walter Cannon and Philip Bard in the 1920’s, emphasizing the role of the hypothalamus and related parallel processing routes for emotional expression
and emotional experience.
Klüver-Bucy syndrome
A rare behavioral syndrome following damage to the anterior temporal lobe that includes a lack of appreciation for the motivational significance of objects in the environment, hyperorality, and altered sexual behavior;
named after Heinrich Klüver and Paul Bucy.
hippocampus
A specialized cortical structure located in the medial portion of the temporal lobe;
in humans, concerned with declarative memory, among many other functions.
right-hemisphere hypothesis
A hypothesis positing that the right hemisphere is specialized for emotional functions.
prosody
The fluctuating pitch of speech; gives emotional and other information to speech.
valence hypothesis
A hypothesis postulating that positive emotions are preferentially processed in the left hemisphere and negative emotions are preferentially processed in the right hemisphere.
anhedonia
Reduced experience of positive affect; often accompanies depression
temperament
the habitual emotional responses that characterize aspects of an individual’s personality
individual difference
Variation in a cognitive function or other trait across people, often as can be related to a particular biological predictor
vertical integration models
A model of emotion that integrates cortical, subcortical, and visceral processes.
fear conditioning
A form of emotional learning in which fear responses are acquired to cues that predict the occurrence of an aversive stimulus.
amygdala
A collection of nuclei in the temporal lobe that forms part of the limbic system;
its major functions concern autonomic, emotional, and sexual behavior
fear extinction
A form of emotional learning in which fear responses are reduced by repeated presentation of a feared stimulus without any unpleasant consequences.
skin conductance response (SCR)
A stimulus-induced increase in the electrical conductance of the skin due to increased hydration.
emotional perseveration
The continuation of an emotional response to a stimulus after the emotional significance of the stimulus has changed and the response is no longer appropriate.
contextual fear conditioning
A form of emotional learning in which fear responses are acquired in response to environments that predict the presence of an aversive stimulus.
Urbach-Wiethe syndrome
A rare, congenital dermatological disease that occasionally produces calcifications in temporal lobe structures.
flashbulb memory
The concept that traumatic memories are vividly and accurately represented in the brain as though the event were recorded through the flash of a camera.
epinephrine
A catecholaminergic neurotransmitter and hormone involved in many body functions, including the fight-or-flight response coordinated by the autonomic nervous system.
norepinephrine
Also called noradrenaline. A catecholamin-ergic neurotransmitter and hormone released across synapses in postganglionic neurons of the sympathetic nervous system, in the adrenal medulla, and in some parts of the central nervous system.
cortisol
A steroid hormone released by the adrenal gland that is involved in the stress response. Called corticosterone in rodents.
stress hormones
Any of several hormones, including cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine, that are secreted by the adrenal gland when stimulated by its sympathetic innervation.
propranolol
An antagonist of the beta-adrenergic system.
emotion regulation
The voluntary or involuntary deployment of resources to gain control over emotional responses.
situation selection
A form of emotion regulation in which individuals select situations that minimize the likelihood of experiencing negative emotions.
cognitive reappraisal
A form of emotion regulation in which individuals use cognitive resources to alter the meaning of a situation in order to reduce or change its emotional impact.
