Chapter 11 Flashcards
Emotion is a state of arousal involving:
- Physiological changes in the face, brain, and body
- Cognitive processes such as interpretation of events
- Cultural influences that shape the experience and expression of emotion
Primary Emotions
Emotions considered to be universal and biologically based
Generally include fear, anger, sadness, joy, surprise, disgust, and contempt
Secondary Emotions
Emotions that develop with cognitive maturity and vary across individuals and cultures. (ecstatic, hopeful, depressed, anxious)
Evolutionary explanations say that emotions…
are hardwired and have survival functions
The 7 universally recognized facial expressions
Anger, happiness, fear, surprise, disgust, sadness, and contempt
Universal facial expression
Emotions recognized cross-culturally
Genuine versus fake emotions can be distinguished
Facial Feedback hypothesis
The process by which the facial muscles send messages to the brain about the basic emotion being expressed
Emotions help us communicate emotional states & signal others. When does this begin?
Begins in infancy, babies convey emotions & can interpret parental expressions
What are the cultural and social limits to the readability of facial expressions? (3)
- People better at identifying emotions in own ethnic, national, or regional group
- Facial expressions can have different meanings within a culture
- Facial expressions do not always represent the emotion being experienced
Prefrontal cortex
The most forward part of the frontal lobes of the brain, linked to emotional regulation
Left prefrontal cortex
involved in motivation to approach others; damage results in loss of joy
Right prefrontal cortex
Involved in withdrawal and escape; damage results in excessive mania & euphoria
Emotional Regulation
modifying and controlling what we feel
Amygdala (3)
- A brain structure involved in the arousal and regulation of emotion and the initial emotional response to sensory information
- Assesses threat
- Damage results in abnormality in processing fear
Mirror Neurons
Brain cells that fire when a person or animal observes others carrying out an action, they are involved in empathy, imitation, and reading emotions
Examples of Mirror Neurones (2)
- Monkey see, monkey do… how they discovered it was in a lab in Italy. When the monkey took a peanut they made a sound, they made the same noise when a human took it. They could not distinguish the difference. Copying is the best way to learn.
- cringing at other people’s behaviour
Mood contagion
A mood spreading from one person to another, as facial expressions of emotion in the first person generate emotions in the other
-Nonverbal signals can cue emotional responses in others as well
What hormones are released when experiencing intense emotions or when one is under stress?
Epinephrine & norepinephrine
- Results in increased alertness and arousal
- At high levels, it can create the sensation of being out of control emotionally
Polygraph machine
- Machine used to measure emotional arousal of a person who is guilty and fearful of being found out
- Detects increased autonomic nervous system activity while responding to incrimination questions
- Typical measures galvanic skin response (sweat); pulse, blood pressure; breathing; fidgeting (people feeling guilt)
What are the possible problems with lie detectors?
- May end up falsely indicating that truthful people are lying
- Not admissible in court
Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT)
multiple choice questions to figure out what concealed knowledge they are hiding
What are the 2 factors experience of emotion depends on?
Physiological arousal & cognitive interpretation
Attributions
- The explanations that people make of their own and other people’s behaviour
- Your interpretation of behaviour generates the emotional response (e.g., how you explain outcome of winning silver medal instead of gold?)
- Relates to upwards & downwards social comparisons, complex emotions, and our ability to feel conflicting emotions at the same time
What is the correlation between cognitions and emotions?
- Cognitions affect emotions, and emotional states affect cognitions
- Some emotions require only simple cognitions or may involved conditioned responses (e.g., infants)
- Cognitive and emotional developments occur together, become more complex with age and experience
What happens in regards to children’s emotions as they age?
- Young children express prototypical emotions first through words- “I’m happy, I’m sad, I’m mad,”
- As children age, emotional distinctions specific to their language & culture emerge
What kind of effect does culture have on emotions?
Culture may influence which emotions are defined as basic or primary
Display Rules
Social & cultural rules that regulate when, how, and where a person may express (or must suppress) emotions
Body Language
- Nonverbal signals of body movement, posture, gesture, and gaze
- Some signals of body language may be universal (e.g., movements that reflect displeasure, tension, grief, anger)
- Discomfort when languages & conversations are mismatched
How do stereotypes associate emotion with sex?
- People see what they expect to see
- Differences exist in how emotions are expressed, and how they are perceived by others.
- Stereotypical gender differences may arise from the fact that women are more willing to express their feelings
Women are more likely to (6) in regards to emotions.
- Smile more often
- Gaze at listeners more
- Have more emotionally expressive faces
- Use expressive hand & body movements
- Touch others more often
- Talk about their emotions
Men are more likely to….(1)
- Anger towards strangers, especially other men, when challenged or insulted
- Expectation that men will control or mask negative emotions
- Consequence is increased difficulty in recognizing when men are seriously unhappy
What is stress?
Stress is influenced by physiology, cognitive processes, and cultural rules
What are some things which influence stress?
conflict with parents or partner, frustration with life, feeling overwhelmed with work or caring for others, etc.
General adaptations syndrome (Hans Selye)
A series of physiological responses to stressors that occur in three stages:
- alarm
- resistance
- exhaustion
Alarm Phase
- Body mobilizes the sympathetic nervous system to deal with immediate threat
- Release of adrenal hormones
- Alarm phase corresponds to the fight or flight response
Resistance Phase
Body attempts to resist or cope with stressor that cannot be avoided
Physiological alarm responses occur but increase vulnerability to other stressors
Exhaustion Phase
Persistent stress depletes the body of energy
Increased vulnerability to physical problems & illness
HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex) axis
- A system activated to energize the body to respond to stressors (crucial for short-term stress responses)
- Hypothalamus sends chemical messengers to the pituitary
- Pituitary then prompts the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol and other hormones
Lower socioeconomic associated with worse health and higher mortality rates because: (4)
- Less likely to go to a doctor or fill prescriptions
- Have high-fat diets, consume inadequate vitamins and minerals
- More likely to be obese
- Live in areas of higher crime, fewer community services, run-down housing, greater exposure to chemical contamination
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)
- The study of the relationships among psychology, the nervous and endocrine systems, & the immune system
- Study antigens, which are white blood cells designed to recognize foreign or harmful substances & destroy them
- Chronic stress can weaken or suppress the immune system (feelings of stress can be as important as actual stress)
Optimism
general expectation that things will go well despite setbacks – associated with better health relative to pessimists
Relative to pessimists, optimists tend to.. (4)
- Live longer (lower HPA activation in response to stress)
- Be active problem-solvers
- Don’t give up or escape
- Keep a sense of humour
Locus of control
A general expectation about whether the results of your actions are under your own control (internal locus) or beyond your control (external locus)
-Feelings of control can reduce or even eliminate the relationship between stressors and health
Primary control
an effort to modify reality by changing other people, the situation, or events
Secondary control
an effort to accept reality by changing your own attitudes, goals or emotions
Hostility & Depression lead to higher risks…
Heart disease and Heart attack
(Cynical & antagonistic hostility increases risk of heart disease
Clinical depression also linked increased risk of heart attack)
Health benefits of positive emotions
Positive emotions may counteract high arousal caused by negative emotions/chronic stressors
Positive psychology
examines how positive emotions and personality traits enhance well-being, health and resilience
Effects of loneliness
Social (longing for friendships) versus emotional (longing for significant others) loneliness
Eating patterns changed when people were lonely
Lonely individuals may discourage relationships by judgmental attitudes (towards self & others)
Men may be lonelier than women (inhibited expression)
Suppression of negative emotions cause…
detrimental health effects, such as decreased white blood cell count
Confession
(divulging private thoughts that make you ashamed or depressed) linked to better health
-Forgiveness as a strategy to let go of grudges linked to better physical outcomes
Coping
Actively trying to manage our demands that feel stressful
Immediate way of coping is to reduce physiological arousal (4)
- Massage
- Mindfulness meditation
- Exercise
- Engaging in enjoyable activity
Emotion-focused coping
Dealing with a problem by concentrating on the emotions the problem has caused, whether anger, anxiety, or grief
Problem-focused coping
Dealing with a problem by solving the problem itself
Types of coping
Emotion focused and Problem focused. One often moves from emotion- to problem-focused coping over time & depending on nature of problem
Three effective cognitive coping methods
- Reappraising the Situation
- Learning from the experience
- Making social comparisons
Reappraising the Situation
Reappraisal: thinking about problem differently
Learning from the experience
Looking for a positive change from the experience
Making social comparisons
Social comparison: compare self to others who are believed to be less fortunate
Social Support
Assistance from others in your network of family, friends, neighbours, and co-workers
-Social support may enhance health because it bolsters the immune system (greater sense of control & optimism)
Friendships can reduce the risk of health problems
Associated with fewer colds, less harmful stress reactions, and longer lives
Hug related from health
Under stress, women who got a supportive touch from their close partner resulted in a reduced stress response in the hypothalamus
Social Support
Social support does not prevent all illness or prolong survival although it is beneficial
Different cultures have different definitions of “social support”
Coping with unhealthy relations
Sometimes friends may be the source of unhappiness, stress & anger
Friends may be unsupportive or block your progress toward a goal
Helping other overcome problems… (2)
- Associated with increased longevity
2. Stimulates optimism and restores sense of control (encourages problem-solving)
Controlling anger
Venting typically worsens physical and mental discomfort
Can control subsequent behaviour
How much control do we have?
Cannot completely control health and emotion, only how we respond
