Emotion Regulation Flashcards
List the four functions of emotion
Help us seek out reward, protect ourselves, accomplish goals, avoid danger
How long does it generally take for emotions to peak?
90 seconds (different study suggests huge variability, less than a minute to more than a week).
What two systems are involved in physiological responses to emotion?
Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
What is the role of cognition in emotion?
Appraisal of relevance, intensity, and source.
What does LeDoux argue about emotion?
Emotion is only the subjective, self-aware part of the experience and therefore is a human concept. In mice, freezing/ fighting is a threat response/ behaviour. It’s unfalsifiable to say that they experience fear.
Explain the fear centre model of fear.
The subjective experience of fear is intertwined with the neural circuit that produces defensive behaviour and physiological fear responses.
Explain the two-system model of fear.
The cognitive circuit that produces the subjective experience of fear is different from the defensive survival circuit that produces defensive behaviour and physiological fear responses.
What does the sympathetic nervous system do? (big picture)
Prepares body for fight/ flight/ freeze. Fear and excitement.
What does the parasympathetic nervous system do? (big picture)
Restores equilibrium after threat response has passed. Rest and digest.
What are the two diverging physiological profiles of chronic stress?
Less amping up (baseline is already amped) or lag in recovery.
What are two factors that influence whether a person/animal chooses fight, flight, or freeze?
Personal characteristics and nature of the threat.
Explain what happens when experiencing a recurring emotional response (two points)
- It diminishes over time.
- Same emotional valence but the intensity, label (rage, anger, annoyance) and cause changes.
Explain what causes subsequent/ recurring emotional responses.
Only the first emotional response was caused by the event. The rest are caused by remembering it.
Why are teens so susceptible to rumination?
They talk about emotions a lot with peers.
What are the four characteristics of emotions?
- Transient
- Situational
- Subjective
- Generate physiological, cognitive, and behavioural responses.
Define emotional regulation.
The process by which people monitor, evaluate, and modify their emotional experiences and behavioural and cognitive responses.
List three signs of emotional dysregulation.
- Overly intense emotions
- Impulsive behaviour
- Lack of emotional awareness
What does it mean that emotional regulation is outcome oriented?
We manage our emotions to achieve our goals.
What are three benefits of emotional regulation?
Better psychological well-being, relationships, and functioning
List three cognitive strategies for emotional regulation.
Reappraisal, acceptance, rumination
Define reappraisal.
To reassess and reinterpret the meaning of an event or situation to increase positive emotions and decrease negative emotions
Define acceptance.
To acknowledge and tolerate difficult emotions without trying to change them
Define rumination.
A repetitive, prolonged pattern of dwelling on negative emotions, thoughts, and memories.
How can rumination be adaptive?
Can help with learning and critical thinking about past experiences. It’s the brain’s way to trying to solve a problem.
Define suppression.
Consciously inhibiting the expression or display of an emotion
Why do kids throw tantrums more than adults?
All emotional regulation strategies are effortful and kids aren’t very good at them.
Define problem solving.
Actively addressing and resolving underlying sources of distress
Define distraction.
Diverting attention away from the sources of distressing emotions
Explain the difference between efficacy and tendency in emotion regulation research.
Efficacy: how well does this technique work in the lab?
Tendency: how often do people actually use this technique?
What’s a suggested mechanism for how reappraisal indirectly leads to positive outcomes?
Cognitive flexibility (holding the event in your mind and using very cognitively effortful processes to reappraise it)
What does the PFC do when experiencing emotion and not trying to change it?
Not much.
What does the PFC do when trying to up-regulate emotion?
Engages to increase activity in brain regions that control emotional expression.
What does the PFC do when trying to down-regulate emotion?
Engages to decrease activity in brain regions that control emotional expression.
What does the PFC do in relation to emotions?
Emotional regulation (modulating activity in limbic regions)
What does the amygdala do in relation to emotions (one main point with three steps)?
Processes emotional stimuli
* Receives sensory input
* Evaluates emotional significance
* Communicates emotional significance with rest of brain
What does the insula do in relation to emotions (two points)?
- Represents information about physical self as an entity
- Integrates motivational and sensory information to signal subjective emotions
Why is reappraisal the most studied regulation technique?
Easy to do and measure
How does reappraisal efficacy change throughout adolescence and why?
Efficacy increases, likely due to development of PFC
How do activation levels of the amygdala and PFC during reappraisal change throughout adolescence?
Amygdala is activated less with age, PFC is more activated
Give an example of implicit emotional regulation.
Extinction learning
What kind of relationship do implicit emotional regulation strategies have with age?
Quadratic (adolescents have less than children and adults)
What kind of relationship do explicit emotional regulation strategies have with age?
Linear
How do self-regulation and co-regulation interact?
As ability to self-regulate increases, co-regulation is less important
What does parent co-regulation do for children’s brains in emotional regulation?
Reduces amygdala reactivity, increases PFC engagement
What does parental deprivation during childhood do to children’s brains in relation to emotional regulation?
Causes persistent amygdala reactivity and fear
How does emotional regulation develop? (two points)
- With PFC development
- Parental scaffolding during development
What is the effect of rumination on mental health?
Associated with mental disorder and depression especially
What is the most effective emotion regulation strategy for reducing unpleasant emotional experiences?
Reappraisal
What are the two most effective emotion regulation strategies for reducing physiological response?
Reappraisal and acceptance
How beneficial is emotional suppression for children and why?
Gives cognitive benefits in 4-6 year-olds by practising inhibitory control.
How beneficial is emotional suppression for depressed adolescents and why?
Suppression is detrimental for depression: reduces bonding and access to treatment.
How beneficial is emotional suppression for adults and why?
Usually associated with negative outcomes, depletes cognitive resources.
How might impairments in emotion regulation underlie depression?
Underutilisation of reappraisal, heightened use of suppression
How might impairments in emotion regulation underlie anxiety?
Over-reliance on suppression for negative and positive emotions. Avoidance means they can’t learn that emotional displays are okay and inhibits social relationships. (Normal use of reappraisal)
What brain activation differences are seen during reappraisal in people with MDD and SAD?
Reduced prefrontal cortex activation
How does mental disorder relate to emotion regulation strategies? (three points)
- Reduced strategy use
- Reduced strategy efficacy
- Reduced PFC engagement
What is a downside of acceptance?
Acceptance can overlap with learned helplessness and disengagement.
