Emotion Flashcards
Name the three components by which emotion is defined.
Cognition, action and feeling.
What do emotional situations arouse?
The autonomic nervous system.
What happens first according to James-Lange theory?
Autonomic arousal and skeletal action occur before the emotion.
Name an issue with James-Lange theory.
People with paralysis report feeling emotion to the same degree.
Give two pieces of information that support James-Lange theory.
People with BOTOX injections report weaker emotional responses, and people with pure autonomic failure report less intense emotion.
What are panic attacks marked by?
Intense sympathetic nervous system arousal.
Explain Mobius syndrome.
An inability to move facial muscles, but still experiencing happiness.
Do physical actions affect emotion? If so, explain.
Yes, as smiling can increase happiness and frowning leads to rating stimuli as less pleasant.
What are the three aspects of emotion?
Cognition, feeling and action.
Which brain areas are involved in emotion?
The limbic system, including the forebrain areas surrounding the thalamus.
What do we use emotion for?
To communicate needs to others and to understand others’ needs.
Which brain area does an initial attack activate?
Corticomedial area of the amygdala.
What does male aggressive behaviour depend on?
Testosterone.
What does aggressive behaviour depend on?
Ratio of testosterone to cortisol.
What does cortisol inhibit?
Violent impulses.
What have been linked to low serotonin release?
Impulsiveness and aggressive behaviour.
How do genes influence violent behaviour?
Through differences in autonomic arousal.
What does the amygdala enhance?
The startle reflex.
Explain auditory information’s role in the startle reflex.
Auditory information stimulates an area of the pons that commands tensing of neck and other muscles.
When is the startle reflex most vigorous?
When the individual is already tense.
Where does the amygdala receive input from?
Pain fibres, vision and hearing.
What controls breathing responses?
The amygdala.
Which brain area controls long-term, generalised emotional arousal?
The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.
Explain generalised fear.
If a person is attacked or has a fearful experience, they become fearful in a wide variety of circumstances.