Emotion

Question 1

Define affective neuroscience.

Answer 1

The study of emotions in the brain.

Question 2

Why are ‘feelings’ not a scientific term?

Answer 2

Feelings are subjective experiences - we need a more concrete entity that can be externally assessed.

Question 3

Define an emotion.

Answer 3

A consistent and discrete response to a significant event.

Question 4

What are emotions used for in the brain?

Answer 4

To help organise cognitive function and direct an appropriate response.

Question 5

Emotions can be thought of as point on an axis. What are the two axes?

Answer 5

Arousal and valence.

Question 6

What does arousal mean?

Answer 6

State of alertness, from sleepy to hyperactive.

Question 7

What does valence mean?

Answer 7

Either positive of negative.

Question 8

Many emotions can be easily recognised, regardless of cultural differences. How do we recognise them?

Answer 8

In specific facial expressions.

Question 9

Facial expressions associated with different emotions can be elicited via stimulation of one or more facial muscle groups. True or false?

Answer 9

True.

Question 10

Arousal can be characterised by an increases in which physiological factors?

Answer 10

Heart rate, blood pressure, sweat production etc.

Question 11

Which part of the nervous system controls arousal?

Answer 11

The autonomic nervous system.

Question 12

Arousing emotions are said to be what kind of responses?

Answer 12

‘Gut’ responses, as in there are visceral components.

Question 13

Who hypothesised in the 19th century that the cognitive experience of emotion is secondary to the physiological response?

Answer 13

William James and Carl Lange.

Question 14

Give 4 reasons why James and Lange’s theory was wrong.

Answer 14

1. Emotions can develop in less than a second, autonomic responses take longer
2. Emotions are very specific, autonomic responses are usually identical
3. Emotions continue after the physiological stimuli has subsided
4. Lesions to the hypothalamus can lead to rage

Question 15

In the early 20th century Walter Cannon and Phillip Bard suggested what about the emotional response?

Answer 15

It is organised by the hypothalamus and communicated via the thalamus to the cortex for cognition.

Question 16

Most modern theories assume that emotion are communicated to awareness a) directly and b) indirectly. What does this mean?

Answer 16

a) Directly via emotional processing centres in the brain

b) Indirectly as the body senses autonomic responses

Question 17

Work by Schachter has shown that emotion is a construct of the mind. How did he show this?

Answer 17

He injected subjects with adrenalin, which increases heart rate. Subjects normally associated increased heart rate with emotion, but modulated this interpretation knowing the effects were due to adrenalin.

Question 18

What is the most modern theory of emotional control?

Answer 18

The autonomic response is coordinated by the hypothalamus. Emotions also require cortical processing, largely involving the prefrontal cortex.

Question 19

Patients with cortical lesions cannot form smiles on request but can form natural smiles, for example is response to a joke. What does this tell us about the generation of facial emotion?

Answer 19

There is likely to be more than one pathway. One for volitional gestures and one for automatic responses.

Question 20

What components would a pathway that generates volitional gestures require?

Answer 20

Motor cortex involvement and basal ganglia.

Question 21

Would a pathway that generates automatic responses require the motor cortex?

Answer 21

No.

Question 22

Define the amygdala.

Answer 22

A small, almond-shaped nucleus in the temporal lobe.

Question 23

Define the limbic system.

Answer 23

A networks of nerves and brain areas associated with instinct and emotion.

Question 24

Why has the limbic system hypothesis become increasingly weak?

Answer 24

The numbers of structures assigned to it has grown, and its explanatory power has thus reduced.

Question 25

In the original limbic system hypothesis first put forward by Papez in 1937, what was the main structure in the temporal lobe responsible for organising an emotional response?

Answer 25

The hippocampus.

Question 26

The hippocampus is no longer believed to organise the emotional response. Which structure has taken its place?

Answer 26

The amygdala.

Question 27

By who and when was it proposed that the amygdala coordinates the emotional response?

Answer 27

By Weiskrantz in 1956.

Question 28

What is Urbach-Wiethe disease?

Answer 28

A reduction in the capability to recognise fear in the faces of others.

Question 29

What can cause Urbach-Wiethe’s disease?

Answer 29

Damage to the amygdala.

Question 30

What happens via brief electrical stimulation of the amygdala in humans, shown by Lauteaume in 2007?

Answer 30

It causes fear and apprehension.

Question 31

In experiments by Whalen et al. in 2004, what happened when subjects were exposed to images of ‘fearful eyes’?

Answer 31

There was an increased BOLD signal in the amygdala.

Question 32

In experiments by Pegna et al. in 2005, subjects with visual cortical impairment showed what kind of response to ‘emotional’ faces, not necessarily fearful?

Answer 32

An increased BOLD signal in the amygdala.

Question 33

What did both the control and visually impaired subjects do in the experiments of Pegna et al in 2005?

Answer 33

Unconsciously imitated the expressions they were shown, even though the visually impaired couldn’t tell what the emotion was.

Question 34

What do the experiments by Lanteaume, Whalen and Pegna all indicate?

Answer 34

The amygdala is necessary and sufficient for emotional response and awareness.

Question 35

What is the dual input hypothesis?

Answer 35

The amygdala receives inputs from 2 pathways, providing 2 routes for emotion.

Question 36

What are the 2 pathways that input the amygdala in the dual route hypothesis?

Answer 36

1. A rapid pathway through the thalamus

2. A slower pathway through the cortex

Question 37

It is thought that the rapid thalamic pathway does what to the amygdala?

Answer 37

Primes it for cortical inputs, which are more refined and convey more information about a potential threat.

Question 38

The amygdala is often described as an ancient structure. True or false?

Answer 38

True: it is highly conserved across mammalian species.

Question 39

Define fear conditioning.

Answer 39

An unconditioned, negative stimulus like an electric shock is repeatedly presented with a neutral stimulus like a noise, until the organism associates the neutral stimulus with pain and responds in a fearful manner, even when the negative stimulus is no longer present. The negative stimulus now becomes a conditioned stimulus.

Question 40

In fear conditioning what activity has been observed in the amygdala?

Answer 40

Sensory inputs from single neurons send signals to the central nucleus of the amygdala. This then coordinates the relevant brain areas.

Question 41

The amygdala appears to have both direct and indirect connections with structures involved in all the major cognitive functions. True or false? If so, what might this mean?

Answer 41

True: it means emotions may impact other systems such as reward, memory and sensation.

Question 42

Work by Talarico and Rubin in 2003 found that emotions seem to have what effect on memory?

Answer 42

They increase the salience. Salience is the quality that makes something stand out, thus emotion seemed to make particular memories more intense.