Emotion and cognition introduction Flashcards
Is cognition independent of emotion?
No - cognition exists in a biological and emotional context.
A critical part of our biological system is emotion and motivation.
what are moral emotions?
we feel this when someone strays away from social order. These include, contempt, anger disgust and shame.
everyday emotions
they fluctuate and go from up and down - this is very normal.
Why we do we have emotions?
- Guide our lives and we learn from them
- They provide meaning to life
- They are related to mental health
- Chronic negative emotion can lead to life feeling miserable and not worth it
How does emotion help us monitor our state and adjust behaviour?
Happy: Current goals are being achieved, so continue – things are going well
Sad: Current plan has failed, so consider a new one – things are not going well
What are the three ways we define emotion?
- Cognitive components of emotion - like self talk.
- Overt expressions of internal states
- A physiological experience
what are the six basic emotions?
surprise fear anger sad happy disgust
Are emotional expressions culturally dependent?
No they’ve been found to be universal across cultures and countries. (Ekman study) suggesting we are born with them and they are probably not learned.
When they compared blind and typical visioned athletes expressions after losing a competition what did they find?
Found no difference in facial expression even though the blind athletes couldn’t have learned this physical response to being sad. Suggesting an innateness of emotional expression.
How does body language help us deduce emotion?
vert expressions are really important for social interactions. Has an evolutionary basis. Allow us to infer how others are feeling. They help us avoid or approach people ( if someone looks angry we probs wont approach them)
what is emotion usually accompanied by?
Emotions are usually accompanied by arousal of the ANS
what do polygraphs measure?
Polygraphs measure indicators of the ANS when people are inhibiting the truth. Measures GSR (galvanic skin response) and SCR (skin conductance response, electrical)
what are the two theories of emotion?
James-Lange theory
Cannon-Bard theory
what are the steps of the James-Lange theory?
Step one ~ There’s a stimulus
Step two ~ Autonomic response —> heart rate increases, respiration, blood pressure, action like running away
Step three ~ Experience of fear
When a person is forced to hold a pen in their mouth forcing them to smile vs a person who is not smiling. Who finds jokes funnier?
The person with the pen in their mouth smiling this suggests that there us feedback from the body influencing our experience of emotion. The jokes are funny because you are already smiling and laughing.
When Ps wore a gel mask that restricts movement could they understand other peoples emotions as well as a non gel mask group?
No - this is because the gel mask has been found to restrict movement and when we are observing people we will mimic their emotion. Since they cant move their face they cannot mimic these expressions and understand them. They struggle to empathise.
How can Botox support James-Lange theory?
Inhibiting the movement of muscles associated with worry/ anxiety can reduce feelings of depression
Stops them from frowning and they feel less depressed.
How do beta blockers function to prevent anxiety?
- If you’ve felt anxious before, you can feel a pounding heart, tight chest, hard to breathe or you breathe too much, cold clammy hands, sweating.
- Beta blockers function by supressing signals from the body (e.g. adrenalin)
- Beta blockers can support the James-Lange theory of emotions
What is a problem with the James-Lange theory?
🔍 Physiological responses are ambiguous — the same bodily changes (e.g. increased heart rate) can occur in fear, excitement, or exercise.
👉 Therefore, the James-Lange theory can’t fully explain how we distinguish emotions without considering the context.
what is the Cannon-Bard theory?
Argued emotion can be experienced independently of body states such as autonomic responses. Autonomic responses can be ambiguous and slower than the experienced emotion. They argued there is experience of fear and this activates autonomic responses.
When Ps had to cross either a high or standard bridge then given an attractive woman’s number - who was most likely to call her?
Those who did the high bridge because the state of fear could be interpreted as attraction or arousal. This shows that activation of the ANS triggers different emotions.
Does it have to be that either Connan-Bard or James-Lange are correct?
No it is more likely that they work together.
How are Connan-Bard & James-Lange different?
James-Lange says bodily response comes before emotion, Cannon-Bard says they happen simultaneously.
How do the two theory of emotion work together?
Some emotions may rely more on bodily feedback (James-Lange), while others are triggered by brain processing (Cannon-Bard).
📍 In real life, we likely use a combination:
The brain quickly identifies threats and emotions.
The body’s response can then intensify or shape how we feel emotionally.
