Emotion

Question 1

How does Ward define emotion?

Answer 1

A state associated with stimuli that are rewarding (i.e. that one works to obtain) or punishing (i.e. that one works to avoid). These stimuli often have inherent survival value.

Question 2

Theory of mind / mentalizing

Answer 2

The process of inferring or attributing mental states to others.

Question 3

What is Mirroring?

Answer 3

The process of sharing the emotions or mental states of others.

Question 4

What is Mood according to Ward?

Answer 4

An emotional state that is extended over time (e.g. anxiety is a mood and fear is an emotion).

Question 5

What is expression (outward manifestation of emotion)?

Answer 5

External motor outcomes in the face and body associated with emotional states.

Question 6

James-Lange theory

Answer 6

The self-perception of bodily changes produces emotional experience (e.g. one is sad because one cries).

Question 7

Emotion regulation

Answer 7

Refers to the things we do to influence which emotions we have, when we have them, and how we experience and express them.

Question 8

Papež circuit

Answer 8

A limbic-based circuit that was once thought to constitute a largely undifferentiated “emotional” brain.

Question 9

Emotion

Answer 9

Collection of psychological states that include
- Subjective experience
- Expressive behaviour
- Peripheral physiological responses (e.g. heart rate, respiration)
- Central feature in human mind
-> everything else subject to debate

Question 10

Basic emotions

Answer 10

Different categories of emotions assumed to be independent of culture and with their own biological basis (in terms of evolution and neural substrate).

Question 11

Moral emotions

Answer 11

Emotions that are related to the behavior of oneself (in relation to others) or the behavior of others (in relation to oneself or others.)

Question 12

Four emotion perspectives

Answer 12

Basic, Appraisal, Psychological construction, Social construction

Question 13

Amygdala

Answer 13

Part of the limbic system, implicated in learning the emotional value of stimuli (e.g. in fear conditioning).

Question 14

Kluver-Bucy syndrome

Answer 14

In monkeys after bilateral amygdala and temporal lesions, an unusual tameness and emotional blunting; a tendency to examine objects with the mouth; and dietary changes. Objects lose their learned emotional value.

Question 15

Skin conductance response (SCR)

Answer 15

Changes in electrical conductivity on a person’s skin, triggered by certain stimuli (e.g. emotional or familiar stimuli).

Question 16

Insula

Answer 16

A region of cortex buried beneath the temporal lobes; involved in body perception and contains the primary gustatory cortex; responds to disgust.

Question 17

Extinction learning

Answer 17

Learning that a previously rewarded stimulus is no longer rewarded.

Question 18

Ventral striatum

Answer 18

Part of the basal ganglia that includes the nucleus accumbens; involved in a “limbic circuit” connecting the orbitofrontal cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus.

Question 19

What does the theory of Feldman-Barret (2006) say about emotion?

Answer 19

A psychological construction model. All emotions tap into a system termed core affect that is organized along two dimensions: pleasant-unpleasant and high/low arousal.

Question 20

What does the theory of Rolls (2005) say about emotion?

Answer 20

A psychological construction model. The theory talks about reward and punishment, whether they are present or absent and the intensity. Emotions occur when a punishment/reward is applied or taken away (e.g. anger is when reward is taken away, relief is when punishment is taken away). Punishment and reward can also be combined to elicit emotions, but the context is important.

Question 21

Social Construction Models

Answer 21

Emphasizes that emotions are not solely biologically determined but are shaped by social and cultural factors

Question 22

Psychological Construction Models

Answer 22

• Emotion not special mental states
• Emotions are not “caused” by dedicated mechanisms
• All mental states emerging from ongoing, continually modified constructive process that involves more basic ingredients that are not emotion

Question 23

What is a hedonic value with regards to emotion?

Answer 23

Whether the emotion is subjectively liked or disliked

Question 24

Appraisal Perspective - emotion regulation

Answer 24

• Blurring boundaries between emotion generation and emotion regulation
• emotions are thought to be caused and modified by some combination of overlapping brain circuits

Question 25

Psychological Construction Perspective

Answer 25

• increasingly difficult to distinguish emotion generation from emotion regulation
• emotions are viewed as being continually constructed = the segmentation of emotion “generative” from emotion “regulatory” processes appears arbitrary and provisional

Question 26

Cannon-Bard Theory of emotion

Answer 26

A theory that focuses on the hypothalamus’ role in emotion, and suggests that bodily responses happen after the emotion is felt.

Question 27

Social Construction Perspective - emotion regulation

Answer 27

• boundary between emotion generation and regulation disappears in favor of regulation more generally
• emotions are conceived of as actions (or dispositions towards actions) with their own regulatory function

Question 28

What are the two dimensions of Lindquist & Barett’s “core affect” theory?

Answer 28

Pleasant-Unpleasant and High / Low arousal, also called activation

Question 29

What general functions does the Orbitofrontal Cortex handle with regards to emotion?

Answer 29

Contextualized emotion, reversal learning, extinction learning and subjective pleasantness of a stimulus