Chapter 8 Flashcards
Define valence
how positive or negative an experience is
Define arousal
how active or passive an experience is
How to measure emotional experiences? (Hint: 2 dimensions)
valence and arousal
Define emotion
positive or negative experience that is associated with a particular pattern of physiological activity
Define James-Lange theory
stimulus triggers activity in body, which int turn produces an emotional experience in brain; had a lot of problems
What is the Cannon-Bard theory?
a stimulus simultaneously triggers activity in the body and emotional experiences in brain
What is the two-factor theory of emotion?
a stimulus triggers a general state of arousal in body, which mind interprets as specific emotion
People (do, do not) make inferences a/b causes of physiological arousal, which do determine _____ ______; example experiment?
emotional experience; brains injected w/ arousing epinephrine; confeds. acted goofy, ppl concluded they were happy, confeds acted nasty, ppl concluded they were angry
T/F Two-factor theory: different emotional experiences are diff. interpretations of singly bodily state of “arousal”
FALSE– single bodily state does not underlie all emotions
What is appraisal?
an evaluation of the emotion-relevant aspects of a stimulus
Where does the fast pathway run?
from thalamus directly to amygdala
Where does the slow pathway run?
from thalamus to cortex to amygdala
In fast pathway, what can happen to a person’s cognition when faced with scary thing?
a person can be afraid of something before knowing what it is b/c info goes from thalamus to amygdala
What is job of cortex in downregulation?
once cortex investigates threat, it deregulates amygdala: “reduce your activity”
T/F Suppression is, or inhibiting outward signs of emotion, is effective way to regulate it
FALSE
T/F Affect labeling, or putting ones feelings into words, doesnt affect emotions
FALSE: helps reduce intensity of emotional states
What is reappraisal? example
changing one’s emotional experiences by changing the way one thinks about the stimulus that elicits the emotion i.e. circumcision is sweet religious ceremony vs. no description
What is multidimensional scaling?
creates map of emotional experiences
What is Darwin’s universality hypothesis?
emotional expressions have the same meaning for everyone
Why do people express emotions in same way?
words are arbitrary symbols, but expressions are signs b/c they are caused by things they signify
What is the facial feedback hypothesis?
emotional expressions can cause the emotional experiences they signify
What is a display rule?
norm for appropriate expression of emotion i.e. stranger vs. grandma insulting u
Describe techniques for display rule
- intensification– exaggerating i.e. faking pleased w/bad gift
- deintensification– muting expression of emotion i.e. loser muting sadness
- masking– expressing 1 emotion but feeling another i.e. judges hiding contempt for lawyers under impartiality
- neutralizing– no expression i.e. poker face
Example of difference in cultural display rules
Japanese and American students watch gory video, Japanese students masked disgust when experimenter was in room
Differences between sincere and insincere expressions
- morphology= reliable muscles, which ppl can control vs other ones
- symmetry= more sincere, more symmetrical
- duration= shorter duration, more sincere
- temporal patterning= sincere is smooth expressions, fake is choppy and abrupt
2 reasons ppl suck at knowing if emotions are genuine
1) biased towards thinking emotions are real
2) don’t know what to look for
How do emotions move people?
1) provide ppl w/info about world
2) emotions are objectives toward which ppl strive
Capgras syndrome: what causes ppl to think family members are possessed by aliens?
connections between temporal lobe (where face are identified) + limbic system (where emotions are generated); recognized Dad but didnt have warm feelings
What is the hedonic principle?
the claim that ppl are motivated to experience pleasure and avoid pain
What are drives?
internal states caused by physiological needs–> maintain homeostasis
What is drive-reduction theory?
a theory suggesting that organisms are motivated to reduce their drives
What is Maslows hierarchy of needs? Bottom to top
physiological needs, safety and security, belonging and love, esteem, self-actualization
What receives orexigenic signals in brain? What happens when destroyed
lateral hypothalamus; when destroyed, rats starve themselves in cage full of food
What receives anorexigenic signals in brain? What happens when destroyed
ventromedial hypothalamus; rats gorge themselves sick
How do our bodies resist weight gain?
1) fat cell # and size increases when we gain weight, but when we lose weight, only size decreases
2) bodies respond to dieting by decreasing metabolism , or rate our bodies use energy
What three hormones play a role in sexual desire?
- DHE- initial onset of desire
- testosterone- evidence shows it might apply to both genders
- estrogen
What is the human sexual response cycle?
stages of physiological arousal during sexual activity
What are 4 phases of human sexual response cycle?
1) excitement phase
2) plateau phase
3) orgasm phase
4) resolution (w/ refractory period where stimulation does not produce excitement)
What causes eating disorders?
genetic, experimental, psychological, cultural
Two ways our psychological motivations differ from biological ones
1) biological motivations shared w/ other animals, psych. not (i.e. tunisian merchant suicide)
2) psychological motivations limitless
What is an intrinsic motivation?
motivation to take actions that are themselves rewarding
What is an extrinsic motivation?
motivation to take actions that lead to reward i.e. working for $, flossing
How can the promise of a reward undermine intrinsic motivation?
if ppl are paid to i.e. do puzzle, then puzzle must not have been very fun
Examples of when threat of punishment create intrinsic motivation
college students more likely to cheat if experimenter warned against it; day care center making fine for late pick up
What is need for achievement?
motivation to solve worthwhile problems
What is approach motivation?
the motivation to experience positive outcomes
What is avoidance motivation?
motivation to experience negative outcomes
What is loss aversion?
tendency to care more about avoiding losses than about achieving equal size gains
Which is more powerful, approach or avoidance motivation? ex
avoidance i.e. grocery bag tax
Loss aversion leads ppl to take risks to avoid ____ but no to ____ _____
loss; achieve gains
What is terror management theory?
A theory about how people respond to knowledge of their own mortality–> shielded from existential anxiety by cultural worldview
What is mortality salience hypothesis?
ppl reminded of their mortality are especially motivated to hang on to cultural worldview
