Chapter 8 Flashcards
Emotion
increase or decrease in physiological activity accompanied by feelings that are characteristic of the emotion
Sympathetic Nervous System
-responsible for fight or flight
-stimulates adrenals to release hormones (cortisol)
Parasympathetic Nervous System
reduces activity and conserves and restores energy
James-Lange Theory
emotional experience results from the physiological arousal that precedes it
Schacter and Singer’s Cognitive Theory
-physiological arousal contributes only to emotion’s intensity
-emotion based on cognitive assessment of the situation (cog label/attribution)
Integrative Embodiment Theory
body sensations are a critical component of emotions, but perceptions are integrated with cognitive information
Paul Ekman
-Posed expressions could produce the intended emotion and a distinct pattern of physiological arousal
-when we smile, we are more likely to feel happy
Universal Emotions
happiness, fear, anger, disgust, sadness, surprise
Posing facial expressions also affect how we interpret the environment …
-a stimulus is more painful when making a sad face
-cartoons are rated as more amusing during induced smiling
What does chewing gum do to emotions?
-can impair detecting emotions in pictures
Disabling corrugated muscles…
reduces amygdala response to stimulated anger
What does botox do?
-women with Botox reported less negative emotions
-produced less amygdala activity when imitating angry expressions
Mirror Neurons
neurons that respond to both when we engage in a specific act and while observing the same act in others
Mirror neurons are why….
observing emotions in others activates our own brain’s emotional areas
Areas Implicated in Emotion
Hypothalamus, septum, amygdala
Some say insular cortex, basal ganglia, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and prefrontal cortex
Hypothalamus
-primary control over autonomic nervous system
-produces a variety of emotional expressions
Septum
stimulation produces sense of pleasure, sexual fantasies, and arousal
Amygdala
plays a role in fear, anxiety, and sex
Amygdala is involved in …
-mainly negative emotions
-participates in memory formation
Fear
emotional reaction to immediate threat
Anxiety
apprehension about future uncertainties
Urbach-Wiethe disease
- a rare recessive genetic disorder causing hardening and deterioration of temporal areas
-Patient SM
Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)
-believed to combine emotional, attentional, and bodily info to bring about conscious emotional experiences
-important in conscious processing
A larger Ac gyrus ….
associated with a higher level of harm avoidance
Prefrontal Cortex functions
- “the final destination” - processes emotional information before action is taken
-judgements about behavior and its consequences
Damage to prefrontal cortex
-early in life: never learn moral and social rules, only motivated to avoid punishment
-later in life: understand moral and social rules in hypothetical situations, but are unable to apply in own life
Issues from damage in prefrontal cortex
-aggression/ inclination to violent urges
-depression
-schizophrenia
Hemispheric Specialization in Emotion
-both hemispheres involved in emotional experiences
Left Hemisphere
-more active when experiencing positive emotions
Damage to left hemisphere
more anxiety and sadness about life
Right hemisphere
-more active when experiencing negative emotions
-greater autonomic response to emotional stimuli (facial expressions, emotional scenes)
Damage to right hemisphere
-unperturbed or euphoric even when bad things happen
-trouble recognizing emotion in facial expressions and tone or voice
