Chapter 12: Emotional Behaviors

Question 1

Paul Ekman’s theory of 6 primary facial expressions

Answer 1

1. Happy
2. Sad
3. Angry
4. Surprised
5. Disgusted
6. Fear

Question 2

Common sense theories

Answer 2

-Feel first, then react

Question 3

James-Lange theory of emotion

Answer 3

• Autonomic arousal occurs first, then experience emotion
• Emotion is label we give the experience
• Largely driven by mixtures of sympathetic and parasympathetic activation

Question 4

3 compounds of James-Lange

Answer 4

1. Cognition: appraisal of situation
2. Action
3. Feeling

Question 5

James-Lange theory predicts

Answer 5

• People with weak autonomic response should feel less emotion
  
  • Pure autonomic failure: less intense emotion
• Increasing reaction should enhance emotion
  
  • Panic attacks: extreme sympathetic nervous system arousal that appears spontaneous

Question 6

Forced boy actions

Answer 6

• Can also influence emotion
• Smiling slightly increases happiness
• Frowning leads to lower pleasantness

Question 7

Actions not required to experience emotion

Answer 7

• Mobius syndrome: problems moving facial muscles needed to smile
• People with this still experience emotions

Question 8

Laughter yoga

Answer 8

-Perceptions of body’s actions can contribute to an emotional feeling

Question 9

Limbic system

Answer 9

-Important for emotions

Question 10

Amygdala

Answer 10

-Helps regulate fear and startle responses

Question 11

Startle reflex

Answer 11

• Extremely fast response to unexpected loud noises
• Suggests fear is built in and unlearned
• Pons triggers it, but is mediated by amygdala
• Basal, lateral & central nuclei of amygdala receive input from pain, vision & hearing

Question 12

Attack behaviors

Answer 12

-Associated with activity in corticomedial nucleus of amygdala

Question 13

Escape behaviors

Answer 13

-Associated with central, lateral & basal nuclei of amygdala

Question 14

Amygdala–>hypothalamus

Answer 14

-Autonomic fear

Question 15

Amygdala–>prefrontal cortex

Answer 15

-Approach/avoid

Question 16

Damage to amygdala interferes with

Answer 16

1. Learning/retaining fear responses
2. Interpreting stimuli with emotional effects
   - Kluver-Bucy syndrome–monkey’s
   
   • Calm, placid, displays less fear of snakes and dominant monkeys
   • Misinterprets threat signals

Question 17

Amygdala damage

Answer 17

• Impairs processing of subtle emotions (trustworthiness)
• Affects ability to recognize similar emotions –>usually only in pictures, not real life (fear/disgust)
• Does not remove emotional express but we focus less on emotional cues

Question 18

Ambiguous stimuli

Answer 18

• Can cause strong amygdala response

- Indirect anger and direct fear

Question 19

Left hemisphere (approach behavior)

Answer 19

• Behavioral activation system (BAS)
• Low to moderate arousal
• Characterized by happiness or anger

Question 20

Right hemisphere (retreat behavior_)

Answer 20

• Behavioral inhibition system (BIS)
• Increases attention & arousal but inhibits action
• Stimulates emotions such as fear & disgust

Question 21

Hormones influence on aggressive behavior

Answer 21

• Testosterone levels associated with rates of violent crimes in men
• High testosterone: more violent crimes

Question 22

Emotions not localized in brain

Answer 22

• Exception: emotion of disgust
• Insular cortex is strongly activated during exposure ti stimuli perceived as disgusting
  
  • Primary taste cortex