Emotion Flashcards
affect
either a discrete emotion that has relatively short duration or a more diffuse, longer-lasting state such as stress or mood
affective flexibility
the ability to process the relevance of various emotional stimuli, depending on one’s current goals and motivation
amygdala
The amygdala, in the medial temporal lobe, processes emotions. It has 3 complexes:
Basolateral: Sensory input → Action control (threat response).
Ventromedial: Innate behaviors & physiological responses.
Cortical: Olfactory input → Memory modulation (emotionally arousing situations).
attentional blink
a phenomenon often observed during rapid serial presentations of visual stimuli, in which a second salient target that is presented between 150 and 450 ms after the first one goes undetected
basic emotion
an emotion with unique characteristics, carved by evolution, and reflected through facial expressions
complex emotion
a combination of basic emotions that can be identified as an evolved, long-lasting feeling. some complex emotions may be socially or culturally learned
core emotional systems
any of seven circuits, proposed by Panksepp, common to all higher animals, that generate both emotional actions and specific autonomic changes that support those actions
dimensional theories of emotion
theories that describe emotions that are fundamentally the same but differ along one or more dimensions, such as valence (pleasant to unpleasant, positive to negative) and arousal (very intense to very mild)
emotions
an affective (positive or negative) mental response to a stimulus that is composed of a physiological response, a behavioural response, and a feeling
emotion generation
an unagreed-upon set of processes that may or may not combine an atomic bottom-up response with a top-down response, which involves memory and/or linguistic representations
emotion regulation
voluntary and involuntary processes deployed to manage and respond to emotions
Input: can consist of avoiding the stimulus altogether, changing the attention paid to it. Or reappraisal (altering the emotional impact of the stimulus)
Output: intensifying, diminishing, prolonging, or curtailing the emotional experience, expression, or physiological response
facial expression
the nonverbal communication of emotion by the manipulation of particular groups of facial muscles. research findings suggest that six basic human facial expressions represent the emotional states anger, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, and surprise
fear conditioning
learning in which a neutral stimulus acquires aversive properties by virtue of being paired with an aversive event
feeling
either the sensation of touch or the conscious sensation of an emotion
flow
the enjoyable state of being “in the zone”
insula
also insular cortex. a part of cortex hidden in the sylvian fissure. the insula also has extensive reciprocal connections with areas associated with emotion, such as the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate gyrus; as well as with frontal, parietal, and temporal cortical areas involved with attention, memory, and cognition
interoception
physical sensations arising from inside the body, such as pain, temperature, hunger,…
mood
a long-lasting diffuse affective state that is characterised primarily by a predominance of enduring subjective feelings without an identifiable object or trigger
reappraisal
a cognitive strategy to reassess an emotion
up regulation, down regulation
somatic marker
a physiological-emotional mechanism that was once theorised to help people sort through possible options and make a decision. somatic markers were thought to provide a common metric for evaluating options with respect to their potential benefit
stress
a fixed pattern of physiological and neurohormonal changes that occurs when we encounter a stimulus, event, or thought that threatens us in some way
suppression
intentionally excluding a thought or feeling from conscious awareness. a strategy for inhibiting an emotion-expressive behaviour during an emotionally arousing situation
defensive circuit p. 442
refers to the neural pathways that detect and respond to threats, triggering defensive behaviors and physiological reactions.
Key components:
Sensory Input: The amygdala receives sensory information (e.g., from sight, sound) via the basolateral complex.
Threat Assessment: The amygdala evaluates the threat and activates the ventromedial complex, which coordinates responses.
Output: Signals are sent to the brainstem, hypothalamus, and other regions to initiate:
Fight-or-flight responses (e.g., increased heart rate, freezing, or escape behaviors).
Emotional states like fear or anxiety.
defensive behaviour p. 442
Defensive behavior refers to actions and physiological responses triggered by a perceived threat to ensure survival. These behaviors are controlled by neural circuits involving the amygdala, hypothalamus, and brainstem, and can be categorized into two main types:
Active Defense: Actions like fleeing, fighting, or vocalizing to escape or deter a threat.
Passive Defense: Behaviors like freezing, hiding, or becoming immobile to avoid detection.
These responses are modulated by threat intensity and proximity, ensuring an appropriate reaction to potential danger.
korsakoff’s syndrome
Korsakoff’s Syndrome is a neurological disorder caused by severe thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency, often associated with chronic alcoholism.
Key Features:
Anterograde Amnesia: Inability to form new memories.
Retrograde Amnesia: Loss of older memories.
Confabulation: Fabricating stories to fill memory gaps.
Other Symptoms: Apathy, confusion, and poor coordination.
It results from damage to brain areas like the mammillary bodies and thalamus, crucial for memory processing. Early treatment with thiamine can prevent progression but often does not fully reverse the condition.
low road pathway
The low road pathway is a fast, automatic neural route for processing emotional stimuli, particularly threats.
Key Features:
Pathway: Sensory input → Thalamus → Amygdala (bypasses the cortex).
Function: Enables rapid, unconscious responses to potential danger before detailed analysis.
Example: Jumping at the sight of a snake-like object before realizing it’s a stick.
This pathway prioritizes survival by allowing quick reactions, while the high road pathway (via the cortex) provides slower, more accurate processing.
high road pathway
The high road pathway is a slower, more deliberate neural route for processing emotional stimuli.
Key Features:
Pathway: Sensory input → Thalamus → Sensory Cortex → Amygdala.
Function: Allows detailed analysis and conscious interpretation of stimuli.
Example: Realizing a snake-like object is just a stick after initial fear.
This pathway integrates context and experience, enabling a more accurate emotional response compared to the low road pathway.
biological motion
Biological motion refers to the perception of movement patterns created by living organisms, particularly humans and animals.
Key Features:
Recognizable Patterns: Observers can identify actions (e.g., walking, running) from minimal cues, like point-light displays (dots representing joints).
Neural Basis: The superior temporal sulcus (STS) and mirror neuron system play key roles in detecting and interpreting biological motion.
Significance: Vital for social interaction, understanding intentions, and recognizing emotions or threats from movements.
It highlights the brain’s ability to extract meaning from complex, dynamic visual stimuli.
mesial temporal sclerosis
Medial Temporal Sclerosis (MTS) is a neurological condition characterized by scarring and cell loss in the medial temporal lobe, often affecting the hippocampus.
Key Features:
Causes: Commonly associated with prolonged or recurrent seizures (e.g., temporal lobe epilepsy), trauma, or infection.
Symptoms:
Memory impairments (especially episodic memory).
Seizures that may include sensory or emotional auras.
Pathology: Atrophy and gliosis (scarring) in structures like the hippocampus and parahippocampus.
Treatment:
Medications: Antiepileptic drugs to manage seizures.
Surgery: In severe cases, removal of the affected area may reduce seizure activity.
MTS is a leading cause of intractable epilepsy.
instructed-fear paradigm
The instructed-fear paradigm is a psychological research method used to study fear responses without direct experience of a threat.
Key Features:
Setup: Participants are told (instructed) that a specific stimulus (e.g., a colored light or sound) predicts an aversive outcome (like a shock), even if they never actually experience it.
Response Measurement: Fear responses, such as increased heart rate, skin conductance, or amygdala activity, are measured when the stimulus is presented.
Significance:
Demonstrates that fear can arise from verbal information alone.
Helps distinguish learned fear through instruction vs. direct experience (classical conditioning).
