College 5: physiology

Question 1

2 kinds of nervous systems

Answer 1

1. Central nervous system: brain and the spinal cord
2. Peripheral nervous system: nerves connecting organs, muscles and spinal cord

Question 2

Peripheral nervous system

Answer 2

Gets (afferent) sensory input from:
- Muscles
- Organs
- Gland
These kinds of input can give rise to emotional experience (James-Lange theory). This produces motor (efferent) output to the:
- Muscles
- Organs
- Glands

Question 3

Motor (efferent) output of the peripheral nervous can be divided into:

Answer 3

1. Somatic system: skeletal muscles, to initiate acivity
2. Autonomic system: modulates acivitie, muscles and glands

Question 4

Het autonomic system can be divided into:

Answer 4

1. The sympathetic system: preparing for fight of flight pupil dilations, heartbeat exceleration, adrenaline etc.
2. The parasympathetic system: energy conservation, digestion, growth, constricting the pupils, slowing the heartbeat etc.

Question 5

Types of disgust

Answer 5

• Nauseating disgust: increased muscular contraction of the stomach and right insula activity.
• Bloody disgust: decreased heart rate and activity in the left insula.

Question 6

Somato-visceral afference model of emotions (SAME)

Answer 6

• If the physiological experience is inambiguous, you rely on pattern recognition / apperception.
• If the physiological experience is ambiguous, you rely on perceptual priming and pattern recognition / apperception.
• If the physiological experience is general arousal, you rely on cognitive labeling.

Question 7

Apperception

Answer 7

The mental process by which a person makes sense of an idea by assimilating is to the body of ideas they already have.

Question 8

Zygomaticus muscle

Answer 8

on the cheeck, associated with positive emotions (smiling).

Question 9

Currugator muscle

Answer 9

Above the eyebrows, associated with negative emotions.

Question 10

Unconscious facial reactions

Answer 10

If you unconsciously process emotions in other people’s faces, you stil respond with the muscles in your face, even when the face is not consciously processed.

Question 11

Pupil constriction and dilation

Answer 11

• Pupil constriction: the parasympathetic system > sphincter muscle > acetylcholine.
• Pupil dilation: the sympathetic system > dilator muscle > noradrenaline.

Question 12

International affective picture system (IAPS)

Answer 12

Your pupils dilate when you see emotional stimuli, you skin conductance goes up and your heart rate slows down.
Skin conductance is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system –> Covariation with SCR: pupil diameter during picture viewing reflects activity in the sympathetic nervous system.

Question 13

Norepinephrin / noradrenalin

Answer 13

Caused pupils to dilate

Question 14

Skin conductance response (SCR)

Answer 14

Skin resistance changes are caused by sympathetic activation of the sweat glands. The SCR can unconsiously be triggered by fearful stimuli.
Brain regions involved:
- ACC,
- vmPFC
- Amygdala

Question 15

Heart rate acceleration and deceleration

Answer 15

• Acceleration: sympathetic nervous system and cardiac nerve –> release of norepinephrine and noradrenaline.
• Deceleration: parasympathetic nervous system and vagus nerve –> release of acetylcholine.

Question 16

Heart rate and threat

Answer 16

• High threat state (gun): decrease in heart rate (freezing response).
• Low threat state (no gun): increase in heart rate.

Question 17

Heart rate and disgust

Answer 17

When you are disgusted both the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system play a role:
- The sympathetic system causes the SCR to go up.
- The parasympathetic system causes the heart rate to go down.

Question 18

Heart rate variability

Answer 18

A lot of variability between your heart rates indicates wellbeing and inner balance. In a sympathetic state (stress) there is a low heart rate variability and in a parasympathetic state (rest) there is a high heart rate variability.

Question 19

Synchronisation of physiological responses

Answer 19

When you like someone your heart rate synchronises with the other person.