emotion and stress (4.3)

Question 1

emotions

Answer 1

subjective, conscious experiences characterized primarily by psychophysiological expressions, biological reactions and mental states

Question 2

basic human emotions (6)

Answer 2

anger, happiness, surprise, disgust, sadness, fear

Question 3

functions of emotions (anger, happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust, fear)

Answer 3

anger: attack
happiness: social
sadness: social
surprise: startle
disgust: avoid
fear: escape

Question 4

principal of antithesis

Answer 4

opposite messages are often signaled by opposite movements and postures; applicable to 2 out of the 3 pairs of emotions (anger/fear, happiness/sadness)

Question 5

components of emotion (3)

Answer 5

perception, feelings, actions

Question 6

James-Lange theory vs Cannon-Bard theory vs modern view

Answer 6

James-Lange: stimulus triggers autonomic and somatic response which triggers emotion (reflex precedes feeling)
Cannon-Bard: stimulus triggers both autonomic and somatic responses and emotion (reflex and feeling happen at the same time)
modern view: all factors influence one another; mostly agrees with Cannon-Bard theory

Question 7

limbic lobe

Answer 7

a group of interconnected structures on the medial surface of the cerebrum; thought to play a role in emotion

Question 8

structures critical for emotion (3)

Answer 8

amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, ventromedial (including orbitofrontal) prefrontal cortex

Question 9

amygdala

Answer 9

important for the appraisal (judgment of the nature and value) of emotion; lesions profoundly reduce fear and aggression; stimulation elicits fear, anxiety and aggression; receives dense input from the hippocampus, anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, along with every neuromodulatory system (i.e. Raphe nuclei); outputs to subcortical and cortical brain structures (i.e. back to inputs)

Question 10

groups of amygdala nuclei (3)

Answer 10

corticomedial nuclei: receive olfactory inputs
basolateral nuclei: receive non-olfactory sensory inputs
central nucleus: major output

Question 11

fear vs aggression

Answer 11

fear: emotional reaction to threat
aggression: an overt, often harmful, social interaction with the intention of inflicting or threatening damage upon another individual

Question 12

fear conditioning

Answer 12

pair a neutral stimulus with an aversive stimulus; learned response

Question 13

amygdala in fear conditioning and aggression

Answer 13

evaluates the emotional significance of the sound on the basis of previous encounters (memory stored in the hippocampus) and stimulates directly (in a reflex-like manner) to the hypothalamus to activate the appropriate autonomic and humoral responses; lesions cause loss of predation while stimulation increases aggression

Question 14

predatory vs affective aggression

Answer 14

predatory: involves attacks against a member of another species for the purposes of obtaining food
affective: for show rather to kill for food (i.e. establishing a defensive posture or dominance in a social hierarchy)

Question 15

vACC

Answer 15

gives rise to the mental states of emotion (which it reports to the VMPFC), then motivates appropriate somatic responses (via its outputs to the DLPFC); monitors somatic behavior to ensure that it is consistent with the internal mental state

Question 16

VMPFC

Answer 16

connected in a reciprocal manner with both the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex; regulates and inhibits responses to emotional stimuli (adult center); damage causes behavioral and emotional disinhibition (oscillating between euphoria and rage)

Question 17

brain hemisphere involved with processing of facial expressions

Answer 17

right

Question 18

stress response (stress)

Answer 18

a cluster of physiological changes in the response of the body to any demand upon it, particularly harm or threat of aggression

Question 19

general adaptation syndrome (3)

Answer 19

alarm: increased activity of sympathetic NS and adrenal medulla, readying the body (fight or flight)
resistance: activation of anterior pituitary-adrenal cortex system to release glucocorticoids that enable the body to maintain prolonged alertness
exhaustion: nervous and immune system no longer have the energy to sustain their heightened activity

Question 20

immune system

Answer 20

consists of cells that protect the body against infection; can be activated by stress

Question 21

cytokines

Answer 21

small proteins produced by immune cells; combat infections and communicate with the brain (i.e. hypothalamus) to elicit appropriate behaviors

Question 22

acute vs chronic stressors

Answer 22

acute: improve immune function (i.e. public speaking)
chronic: impair immune function (i.e. caring for an ill relative)

Question 23

episodic memory

Answer 23

plays an important role in amygdala function; storage in the hippocampus affected by emotion (small amounts of stress = increased memory; large amounts of stress = decreased memory)

Question 24

physical symptoms of chronic stress (7)

Answer 24

aches and pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, frequent colds (immune system)

Question 25

behavioral symptoms of chronic stress (6)

Answer 25

eating more or less (cytokines), sleeping too much or too little, isolating yourself from others, procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities, using alcohol/cigarettes/drugs to relax, nervous habits (i.e. nail biting, pacing)

Question 26

cognitive symptoms of chronic stress (6)

Answer 26

memory problems (hippocampus), inability to concentrate, poor judgment, seeing only the negative, anxiety (amygdala), constant worrying

Question 27

emotional symptoms of chronic stress (7)

Answer 27

moodiness (amygdala), irritability or short temper (amygdala), agitation, inability to relax, feeling overwhelmed, sense of loneliness and isolation, depression or general unhappiness