Chapter 12: Emotion, Stress, and Health Flashcards
Components of Emotion
physiological- changes in bodily arousal
cognitive- appraisal and interpretation of feeling
behavioral- expression of emotion
Physiological Component
changes in bodily arousal like increased heart rate, body temp, and respiration
produced by autonomic nervous system
difference in intensity of emotion relates to sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight). parasympathetic works to calm people down
Cognitive Component
- evaluative thoughts people have about their emotional experiences
- appraisal of events that are producing the emotion
influencing how intensely we will experience the emotion.
interpretation shapes how people experience the emotion
Behavioral
express emotion through body language
6 fundamental emotions: anger, sadness, happiness, surprise, fear, and disgust
3 Measurements of Emotions
behavioral displays of emotions
self-reports of emotions
psychophysiological reactions
Behavioral displays of emotion
observed by objective rater
actions, facial expressions
Self-rating of emotion
measure a person’s emotional experience
may be inaccurate and only provides limited feature
Physiological Reaction to stimuli
Facial Electromyography (EMG)- measures contraction of facial muscles. pleasant stimuli activates muscles involved in smiling. negative stimuli –> frowning
Heart Rate- unpleasant leads to lower heart rate, pleasant is associated with accelerated heart rate
Skin Conductance- high skin conductance -> more perspiration -> more arousal of emotion
Startle Reflex- measures involuntary movements like eye blinks
Cognitive Function of Emotions
help us organize our memories
help us prioritize our concerns and needs
may help us form judgement and make decision
Behavioral Function of Emotions
minimize negative emotions and maximize positive emotions
action tendencies
Social Functions of Emotions
emotions help coordinate relationships
can improve quality of emotions (sharing emotions can lead to intimacy and help form relationships)
James Lange Theory
- emotions. begins with perception of environment
- elicitation of physiological and behavioral change
- processed by the cortex and converted into emotion
appraisal lead to immediate physiological (SNS) reaction
typically leads to behavior
each emotion has unique SNS signature
people’s “experience” of emotion is an afterthought
ex. sam experienced high arousal and then interpreted it as anger
“I did not run because I was afraid. I felt afraid because I ran”
critic: predispose that every emotion has specific physiological response. fear of exam and fear of dog is different. not possible.
Cannon-Bard Theory
After perceiving an event, thalamus simultaneously relays information about event to sympathetic nervous system and to part of brain that perceive emotion
aka. experience of emotion and activation of sympathetic nervous system happen at the same time
Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory
- emotions. begins with perception of environment
- elicitation of physiological and behavioral change
- cognitive label of emotion
- feels a specific emotion
arousal in all emotions is the same. undifferentiated arousal of SNS. cognitive label turns undifferentiated arousal into a specific emotion
cognition determines whether the state of physiological arousal will be labeled as “anger”, “joy”, “fear”, etc.
[read about experiment]
Cognitive-Meditational Theory
aka Appraisal Theory
Richard Lazarus
cognitive appraisal affects how people interpret physical arousal and the level of arousal itself
Not afraid of bear in zoo because we can assess that it is of no danger.
more on slides
Facial Feedback Theory
subjective experience of emotion are influenced by sensory feedback from facial muscle activity
facial efference- sensory feedback from facial muscular activity
Duchenne Smile
Evolutionary Theory
emotional expression serve as communicative function that is essential to survival.
certain emotions have been passed down through generations because they have played a key role in survival
basic emotions: surprise, interest, joy, rage, fear, disgust, shame, and anguish
Lewis’s Cognitive theory of Emotional Development
most emotions can be experienced and expressed only after particular cognitive abilities have developed.
babies are bored with limited capacity for emotional experience.
3 months: happiness, sadness, disgust
4-6 months: anger, surprise
7-8 months: fearfulness
18-24 months: objective self awareness
2-3 year: self-conscious evaluative emotions
Izard’s Differential Emotions Theory
particular emotions become more prominent during specific life stages as they serve stage-related developmental processes
aka emotions evolve to help individual develop
Thalamus
serves as a relay station for a great deal of incoming information in the brain, including emotions information
Prefrontal Cortex
heightened activity in right when experienced negative emotion, and left when experienced positive emotions
involved in coordinating emotional responses
Emotional Clarity
ability to accurately identify and distinguish one’s emotion
if we are able to better pinpoint our emotion, we can better understand the cause of emotion, the context, and make more appropriate actions
Attention to Emotion
person’s tendency to take notice of, value, and focus on his/her mood.
more awareness of emotion = greater access to them, greater ability to use them in positive ways
Emotional Intensity
strength to which an individual typically experience emotions
more emotional intensity = bigger emotional response
Patterns of Emotional Response
hot cluster- high intensity, high attention to emotion, high clarity
cool cluster- low emotional intensity, attention, and clarity
overwhelmed cluster- average emotional attention, high emotional intensity, low emotional clarity
cerebral cluster- high emotional clarity, average emotional attention, low emotional intensity
Regulation of Emotion
Emotional dysregulation
unhealthy attempts to regulate demotion
ex. suppressing emotion
Gender difference in emotions
women express emotions more often and more intensely than men
Display Rules
cultural expectations that prescribe how, when, and by whom emotions should be expressed
play a role in difference of expression of emotion between gender and cultures
Alexithymia
unable to identify and describe own emotions. often confuse emotions with symptoms of medical problems
Hypervigilance
attend to emotions too much. tend to be more anxious
Antisocial personality Disorder
too little emotion. incapable of caring deeply for others. more likely to violate needs of others
Borderline Personality Disorder
intense emotions that they are unable to regulate.
may show impulsivity or even resort to self mutilation
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
experience excessive anxiety under most circumstances
Panic Disorder
experience repeated panic attacks
more attentive to bodily sensations, experience more intense bodily sensations, more inclined to misinterpret their sensations
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
when obsessions or compulsion is excessive
Depression and Mania
Major Depressive Disorder
suffer only from depression
Bipolar Disorder
display alternation or mixture between mania and depression
Acute Stressor
situation that trigger stress that is short term and has definite endpoint
Chronic Stressor
situation that trigger stress that is long term and often lacks definite endpoint
Four Kinds of Stress Experience
frustration- emotion people fee when thwarted in pursuit of a goal
pressure- expectation or demand that someone acts in a certain way. varies with difficulty of task
conflict- discomfort brought about by 2 or more goals perceived to be incompatible
danger- life threatening situations.
3 basic types of conflict
approach-approach conflict- must choose between 2 equally desirable options
avoidance-avoidance conflict- choose between 2 equally undesirable options
approach-avoidance conflict- both have undesirable and desirable options, causes us to be ambivalent
