emotion Flashcards
what are emotions (Ness, 1990)
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
what are moods?
long-lasting diffuse affective state that is characterised by primarily a predominance of enduring subjective feelings without an identifiable trigger
what are the key components of emotions (Buck, 1998)
physiological reaction = changes in heart rate, sweating, etc
behavioural response = e.g., smiling, crying
a feeling = subjective experience of emotion
what are the 6 main emotions based on facial expressions according to Ekman (1971)
- sadness
- surprise
- happiness
- disgust
- anger
- fear
what are complex emotions
extended duration, no unique facial expressions
what is valence and arousal
valence = positive/negative
arousal = intensity
what are approach and withdrawal behaviours
emotions classified by the behaviours they motivate
approach = more towards opportunities
withdrawal = away from danger
what is the canon-bard theory
experience of the emotion and the physiological response are simultaneous
cognition is unconscious
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
canon-bard theory - evidence (sham rage)
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)
James-Lange theory
physical then emotion
1) conscious perception of stimulus
2) physiological response
3) behavioural response
4) subjective emotional feeling
James-Lange theory - evidence (emotion attribution task)
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
James-Lange theory - evidence (muscle feedback)
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
James-Lange theory - evidence (facial feedback hypothesis)
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
Schachter-Singer theory
experience of emotion dependent on labels applied to it
cognition is conscious
1) conscious perception of stim
2) physiological response
3) behavioural response
4) subjective emotional feeling
Schachter-Singer theory - evidence (autonomic activation)
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
what is the difference between the James Lange theory and Singer–Schachter theory?
James Lange = my heart is beating fast, I must be scared
Singer = My heart is beating fast because I have fear. I am frightened.
what is the physiology of emotion
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
what is the amygdala
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
what is the insula
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
what is the orbitofrontal cortex
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
how does Phineas Gage case support this?
accident largely destroyed orbitofrontal cotex, claimed this caused a deficit in rational decision making and the processing of emotion
what are some problems with the Phineas Gage account?
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
facial expressions - why are they important?
human face has 43 muscles responsible for forming various expressions
important social signal, help social interactions, convey intentions, empathise
auditory cues
speech prosody = conveying meaning beyond words themselves
vocal bursts = non linguistic sounds between speech or in the absence of speech
music
