emotion

Question 1

what are emotions (Ness, 1990)

Answer 1

specialised modes of operation shaped by natural selection to adjust the parameters of the organism in ways that increase capacity and respond adaptively to different situations

Question 2

what are moods?

Answer 2

long-lasting diffuse affective state that is characterised by primarily a predominance of enduring subjective feelings without an identifiable trigger

Question 3

what are the key components of emotions (Buck, 1998)

Answer 3

physiological reaction = changes in heart rate, sweating, etc

behavioural response = e.g., smiling, crying

a feeling = subjective experience of emotion

Question 4

what are the 6 main emotions based on facial expressions according to Ekman (1971)

Answer 4

• sadness
• surprise
• happiness
• disgust
• anger
• fear

Question 5

what are complex emotions

Answer 5

extended duration, no unique facial expressions

Question 6

what is valence and arousal

Answer 6

valence = positive/negative

arousal = intensity

Question 7

what are approach and withdrawal behaviours

Answer 7

emotions classified by the behaviours they motivate

approach = more towards opportunities

withdrawal = away from danger

Question 8

what is the canon-bard theory

Answer 8

experience of the emotion and the physiological response are simultaneous

1) signal sent to thalamus
2a) signals from thalamus to cortex, producing feeling
2b) signals from thalamus to hypothalamus, producing physiological response
3) behavioural response

Question 9

canon-bard theory - evidence (sham rage)

Answer 9

Bard removed different parts of cat cortex to see whether emotions are impaired

removal of cortex resulted in sham rage (angry response to nothing)

if link between hypothalamus and midbrain is severed, no sham rage occurred

suggests subjective experience of emotion is dependent on cortex, while physiological depends on different systems (hypothalamus)

Question 10

James-Lange theory

Answer 10

physical then emotion

1) conscious perception of stimulus
2) physiological response
3) behavioural response
4) subjective emotional feeling

Question 11

James-Lange theory - evidence (emotion attribution task)

Answer 11

pure autonomic failure = no feedback from autonomic nervous system

emotion attribution task:
- short stories, PP has to describe how character might feel
- lower scores on test of emotion attribution, but not on identification of emotional facial expressions

suggests signals from ANS are important in experiencing emotion

Question 12

James-Lange theory - evidence (muscle feedback)

Answer 12

botox may result in less muscle feedback associated with negative emotions

lower scores on irritability-depression-anxiety scale

suggests feedback from muscles used for frowning is involved in experiencing negative emotions

Question 13

James-Lange theory - evidence (facial feedback hypothesis)

Answer 13

pen placed in PPs mouth to allow different muscles to activate when reading a comic

reported as funnier when pen was placed in a way that promoted smiling

Question 14

Schachter-Singer theory

Answer 14

experience of emotion dependent on labels applied to it

1) conscious perception of stim
2) physiological response
3) behavioural response
4) subjective emotional feeling

Question 15

Schachter-Singer theory - evidence (autonomic activation)

Answer 15

PPs given “vitamin” injection (actually saline or adrenaline), given different information about side effects

PPs who were told there would be no side effects attributed their feelings to how the confederate behaved

suggests cognitive appraisal is important in experiencing emotion

Question 16

what is the physiology of emotion

Answer 16

ANS regulated by hypothalamus

hormones released by HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands) - activate sympathetic nervous system

e.g.,
1) hypothalamus activated
2) CRF increase
3) pituitary gland releases adrenocorticotropic hormone
4) adrenal glands release cortisol
5) high levels of cortisol turn off the response

Question 17

what is the amygdala

Answer 17

in medial temporal lobes, near hippocampus

commonly associated with fear, but important for emotion processing in general
- evidenced by increased amygdala activity for facial expressions of fear, compared with other facial expressions
- evidence suggests amygdala responsible for directing visual attention to the eye region of facial expressions

Question 18

what is the insula

Answer 18

deep inside lateral sulcus of the brain

related to processing of introspective stimuli, indicating state of body

integration of cognitive and emotional information

most commonly associated with disgust

Question 19

what is the orbitofrontal cortex

Answer 19

very front of the brain, above the eyes

involved in decision making

communicates widely with the limbic system (including amygdala)

studies have shown greater activation of OFC for pleasant touch/smells, rather than neutral stimuli

most activated by affective outcomes (rewards/punishments)

key for goal-directed behaviour and updating value of outcomes

Question 20

how does Phineas Gage case support this?

Answer 20

accident largely destroyed orbitofrontal cotex, claimed this caused a deficit in rational decision making and the processing of emotion

Question 21

what are some problems with the Phineas Gage account?

Answer 21

actual account was really vague

no evidence for timeline of recovery, and people who knew Gage prior to accident did not leave a statement

early reconstructions of skull may not have been accurate

Question 22

facial expressions - why are they important?

Answer 22

human face has 43 muscles responsible for forming various expressions

important social signal, help social interactions, convey intentions, empathise

Question 23

auditory cues

Answer 23

speech prosody = conveying meaning beyond words themselves

vocal bursts = non linguistic sounds between speech or in the absence of speech

music