Chapter 17 - Biopsychology of Emotion, Stress & Health Flashcards
James-Lange theory
the theory that emotion-inducing sensory stimuli are received and interpreted by the cortex, which triggers changes in the visceral organs via the autonomic nervous system and in the skeletal muscles via the somatic nervous system. Then the autonomic and somatic responses trigger the experience of emotion in the brain
Cannon-Bard theory
the theory that emotional experience and emotional expression are parallel processes that have no direct causal relation
sham rage
poorly directed aggressive responses of decorticate animals
limbic system
a collection of interconnected nuclei and tracts that ring the thalamus
Klüver-Bucy syndrome
anterior temporal lobes had been re- moved;
> following behaviors: the con- sumption of almost anything that is edible, increased sexual activity often directed at inappropriate objects, a tendency to repeat- edly investigate familiar objects, a tendency to investigate objects with the mouth, and a lack of fear
Polygraphy
method of interrogation that employs ANS indexes of emotion to infer the truth- fulness of a person’s responses
control-question technique
the physiological response to the target question (e.g., “Did you steal that purse?”) is compared with the physiological responses to control questions whose answers are known
guilty-knowledge technique
a lie-detection method in which the polygraphed records autonomic nervous system responses to a list of control and crime-related information known only to the guilty person and the examiner; also known as the concealed information test
facial feedback hypothesis
our facial expressions influence our emotional experience
Duchenne smile
genuine smile
Fear
emotional reaction to threat; it is the motivating force for defensive behaviors
Defensive behaviors
behaviors whose pri- mary function is to protect the organism from threat or harm
aggressive behaviors
behaviors whose primary function is to threaten or harm
target-site concept
the idea that the aggressive and defensive behaviors of an ani- mal are often designed to attack specific sites on the body of another animal while protecting specific sites on its own
Fear conditioning
the establishment of fear in response to a previously neutral stimulus (the conditional stimulus) by presenting it, usually several times, before the delivery of an aversive stimulus (the unconditional stimulus)
lateral nucleus of the amygdala
critically involved in the acquisition, storage, and expression of conditioned fear
prefrontal cortex
thought to act on the lateral nucleus of the amygdala to suppress conditioned fearhought to act on the lateral nucleus of the amygdala to suppress conditioned fear
Urbach-Wiethe disease
genetic disorder that often results in calcification (hardening by conversion to calcium carbonate, the main component of bone) of the amygdala and surrounding an- terior medial temporal-lobe structures in both hemispheres
suppression paradigms
an experimental method for studying emotion; subjects are asked to inhibit their emotional reactions to unpleasant films or photos while their brain activity is recorded
stress
When the body is exposed to harm or threat, the result is a cluster of physiological changes generally referred to as the stress response
stressors
experiences that induce the stress response
Gastric ulcers
painful lesions to the lining of the stomach and duodenum, which in extreme cases can be life-threatening
psychoneuroimmunology
study of interactions among psychological factors, the nervous system, and the immune system
immune system
the system that protects the body against infectious microorganisms
> innate immune system and the adap- tive immune system
innate immune system
the first component of the immune system to react. it reacts quickly generally near points of entry of pathogens
leukocytes
white blood cells
phagocytes
cells that engulf and destroy pathogens
Phagocytosis
destruction of pathogens by phago- cytes
adaptive immune system
the division of the immune system that mounts targeted attacks on foreign pathogens by binding to antigens in their cell membrane
lymphocytes
Lymphocytes are produced in bone marrow and the thymus gland and are stored in the lymphatic system until they are activated
> two major classes of lymphocytes: B cells and T cells
Cell-mediated immunity
directed by T cells
antibody-mediated immunity
directed by B cells
antigens
molecules, usually proteins, that can trigger an immune response
antibodies
lethal receptor molecules, eleased into the intracellular fluid, where they bind to the foreign antigens and destroy or deacti- vate the microorganisms that possess them
vaccination
involves administering a weakened form of a virus so that if the virus later in- vades, the adaptive immune system is prepared to act against it
immunization
The process of creating immunity through vaccination
