Cognitive explanations Flashcards
Emotions can be rational
emotions are based on actual events and substantiative beliefs (always a response to the environment)
- they help individuals function effectively in the environment (respond congruently with environment)
- emotions can systematically guide or disrupt cognitive processes –> context determines this (no definitive answer which one comes first)
- certain brain areas where cognition and emotion is involved to allow us to talk about how we feel
Neurobiology of emotion-cognition interactions
neural correlates of E-C interactions in terms of: eg. how one impacts the other? emotion on cognition cognition on emotion individual differences
Distinction between emotional and cognitive brain is fuzzy and context dependent
- Dolcos et al (2011) - neural correlates of emotion-cognition interaction in terms of:
1) emotion on cognition - perception and attention
- memory
- decision making
2) cognition on emotion - emotion regulation
- emotional distraction
3) individual differences - personality
- sex
- age
Thinking influences our experience of emotions
- Mere exposure effect (Zajonc, 1980)
- phobias?
liking occurs before and independently of cognition whether something is good or bad is an unconscious evaluation
(feeling in the absence of cognition. Preferences need no inferences)
This extends beyond liking to PHOBIAS:
- Ohman &Soares (1994) found that snake and spider phobias showed increase physiological reactions and negative emotion to subliminally presented photos of spiders and snakes
- Soussigan et al(2010 -found unconscious/ subliminal fear cues increased negative appraisals of food stimuli in patients with anorexia
Thinking influences our experience of emotions
- Appraisal theory (Lazarus, 1982)
= thought is a necessary condition of emotion
- appraisals cause (or at least precede) emotional experience
- emotions are subjective (we can react differently to same stimulus eg. seeing a dog - some happy/ some not) (KEY IDEA) - to prompt emotion, an event must be evaluated (cognitively appraised) in relation to the person’s wellbeing
- appraisals do not necessarily imply awareness of factors related to the object or event (ie. Zajoncs preferences are also cognitive)
Thinking influences our experience of emotions
- Dual process theories (LeDoux, 1980)
Both appraisal theory and mere exposure effect are correct: we feel fast (zajonc) and we feel slow (lazarus)
- we have a fast/ unconscious system and a slower/ controlled/ conscious system (eg. implicit and explicit attitudes)
- Interaction between fast processing (amygdala) and a slower, more elaborate, representation (Associated with neocortex = more evolutionary advancement)
Appraisal theories of emotion (Ellsworth, 2013)
- emotions are adaptive
- emotions are multidimensional
- emotions arise from the organisms perception of environmental changes
- Appraisals are influenced by temperatures, culture, individual differences, experiences and goals
Appraisal theories stipulate:
a) construction of meaning of the situation
b) elements of the emotional experience such as: novelty, valence, certainty, goals, agency and control
(tend to construct meaning from the emotion we feel)
- several features influence emotional experience eg. bodily reactions, facial experessions, action tendencies, cultural norms, social interactions
Nummenmaa et al (2014)
- report where in the body we see emotion (eg. anger = top of the head) using heat maps = informs how we are feeling when we get sensations in certain part of the body
Emotions influence WHAT we think
- do emotions of the same valence have the same effect? -study?
- emotions of the same valence may not have the same effect
eg. effects of anger and sadness differ in assessment of control and attributions of responsibility - Lerner et al(2013) examined the effect of fear and anger on perceptions of future risks related to terrorist attacks after 9/11
angry ps estimated less risk (anger associated with low uncertainty) eg, if you know who did attack
scared ps estimated more risk (fear associated with high uncertainty)
2 types of emotion
1) integral emotion = feelings caused by or related to the decision at hand or the cognitive task eg. fear of losing money when deciding between investments
2) incidental emotion = feelings unrelated to the cogntiive process eg. feeling happy over good news during an exam (Lerner et al 2015; Blanchett et al, 2013)
Theories for emotions influence WHAT we think
Network theory/ affect priming (Bower, 1981)
Feelings as information (Clore, 1983)
Effects of emotions on Judgement (Blanchette & Richards, 2010)
Effects of emotions on decision-making (Blanchette & Richards, 2010)
Hedonic contingency model (Wegener & Petty, 1994)
Somatic markers hypothesis (Bechara & Damasio, 2005)
Emotions influence HOW we think
effect of processing style on reasoning
1) feelings as info
- systematic (negative mood) OR heuristic (positive mood)
2) Hedonic contingency
- systematic (positive mood) OR heursitic (negative mood)
- emotion-imbued choice model (Lerner et al, 2015)
Thinking influences our experience of emotions
- key theories
mere exposure effect (Zajonc, 1980)
appraisal theory (Lazarus, 1982)
Dual process theories (LeDoux, 1980)
Emotion influences WHAT we think
- Network theory/ Affect priming (Bower, 1981)
emotions are nodes in a semantic network
- mood influences:
1) memory (eg, mood-state-dependent-memory)
2) cognitive processing (eg. negative emotion associated to pessimistic cognition)
Indirect effect:
mood –> mood-congruent thoughts –>judgements
However,
mood-congruent memories can be retrieved (eg. recalling a happy event when sad)
Emotion influences WHAT we think
Feelings-as-information
(Clore, 1983)
feelings provide a rapid information source about our environment
feelings can act as heursitics when making judgements eg. ‘ how do i feel about this’
Direct effect:
mood –> judgements
however, mood can have little impact on more general thoughts and beliefs eg. political orientation
Emotion influences WHAT we think
Effects of emotion on judgement
Effects of emotion on decision-making
mood –> judgement (likelihood of event) –> decisions
- availability heuristic - you form estimates of likelihood based on how easily you can retrieve instances from memory
Emotional events are more memorable but not necessarily more frequent
- mood increases the availability of mood-congruent info eg. positive mood increases the accessibility of positive events, so you judge positive events as more probable
Decision-making
- negative mood:
anxiety (trait and state) associated with risk aversion
sadness tends to increase risk tolerance or risk seeking
- positive mood:
linked to higher risk aversion, especially when odds of losing were high (Isen et al, 1988)
positive outcomes should seem more likely (affective priming)
positive mood should signal safety (feelings as info)
–> decisions based on perceived utility (ie how much person will gain/ lose); emotional motives (if we have a lot to lose = avoid risk)
Emotion influences WHAT we think
Hedonic contingency model (Wegener & Petty, 1994)
people are motivated to achieve and maintain pleasant moods
- when we feel good = more to lose, and spend more time thinking about consequences of our actions
- study:
when people were asked to choose between different activities, happy people paid more attention to how the proposed activity made them feel (=motivated to maintain positive mood)
