Emotional Behaviours Flashcards by Anika Buttigieg

What are feelings? (5)

Mental experiences of body states which signify:

physiological needs
tissue injury
optimal function
specific social interactions
threats to the organism

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What are the 2 motives we are driven by?

Biological - hormones, neurotransmitters, brain structures

Psychosocial - psychological, social, and environmental factors and how they interact with each other

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What is the 3-partite brain made up of? + functions

Lizard brain - brain stem & cerebellum - autopilot, fight/flight

Mammal brain - limbic system - emotions, memories, habits, attachments

Human brain - neo-cortex - language, abstract thought, imaginations, consciousness, reasoning, rationalising

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Which hormones does the anterior pituitary gland release? (6)

TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)
ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone)
LH (luteinizing hormone)
FSH (follicle stimulating hormone)
GH (growth hormone)
Prolactin

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Which hormones does the posterior pituitary gland release? (2)

Oxytocin
Vasopressin

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What is the limbic system made up of? (6)

thalamus
fornix
hypothalamus
amygdala
mammillary body
hippocampus

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Explain LeDoux’s subcortical shortcut (3)

Danger is spotted by the eye, and signals are sent to the thalamus

The thalamus sends signals to the amygdala and visual cortex, which also sends signals to the amygdala

The amygdala sends signals to the rest of the body to cause an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, etc.

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Why does smiling induce happiness?

Brain releases:

dopamine
serotonin
endorphins

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Why does seeing someone smile induce happiness?

Smiling is neurologically contagious due to mirror neurons

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What is Mobius syndrome? (2)

Congenital facial paralysis caused by the absence of cranial nerves 6 and 7 which control eye movements and facial expressions

People with Mobius syndrome can still experience happiness

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What is the Darwinian perspective on facial expressions?

Facial expressions evolved quickly to communicate emotional states to promote social interactions

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What is the embodied theory on facial expressions? (2)

we understand others’ emotions by reproducing the perceived expression

observing a facial expression can evoke the corresponding emotion in the perceiver

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What was the result of De Stefain’s study on facial expressions and emotional understanding?

Results supported the embodied theory as the children with Mobius syndrome had mild deficits in emotion recognition and lower physiological responses

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How are emotions measured? (3)

Observing facial expressions
Physiological measures
Self-report measures

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What are 5 physiological measures of emotions?

Heart rate
Galvanic skin response
Electromyography (EMG)
Temperature
Electroencephalography (EEG)

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What 3 components are considered when defining emotions?

Cognitive appraisal of the situation (e.g., this is dangerous)

Sensations one feels (e.g., frightened)

Action related to the situation (e.g., fight, flight, freeze)

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What are some functions of the sympathetic nervous system? (5)

Widening of pupils
Increase heart rate
Interrupts digestion
Inhibits urination
Promotes orgasm

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What are some functions of the parasympathetic nervous system? (5)

Constriction of pupils
Slows heart rate
Increases digestions
Stimulates urination
Arousal

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What is the autonomic nervous system made up of and their functions? (2)

Sympathetic nervous system (crisis management)

Parasympathetic (long-term survival)

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What is top down anxiety characterized by? (3)

Hypervigilance
Ruminating thoughts
Anxiety shifts attention to interoceptive events

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What is bottom up anxiety characterized by? (2)

Dizziness
Excess heat and sweat

What is the common sense view of how the ANS relates to emotions? (3)

Conscious psychological experience (e.g., feeling fear)
Physiological ANS activity
Action (e.g., running away)

What is the James-Lange theory of how the ANS relates to emotions? (2)

Physiological ANS activity & behaviour
Emotional/psychological aspect

Explain the James-Lange theory (2)

Autonomic arousal occurs first

The mind’s perception of the higher adrenaline level, heartbeat, etc. is the emotion

Compare the James-Lange theory, the Cannon-bard theory, and the Schachter-Singer theory

JL - first comes autonomic arousal, second comes the emotion CB - arousal and emotion are experienced simultaneously SS - arousal and recognition of emotion occur first, then the emotion is experienced

What are the 6 basic emotions?

Happiness Sadness Fear Disgust Anger Surprise

What is the 7th basic emotion added by Ekman?

contempt

How does the left hemisphere contribute to emotion? (5)

Behavioural activation system Low autonomic arousal Motivation Happiness Sensitive to reward

How does the right hemisphere contribute to emotion? (5)

Behavioural inhibition system Higher attention and arousal Avoidance Fear/disgust Sensitive to punishment

How do the brain hemispheres relate to personality? (2)

More activity in the left hemisphere = more outgoing and fun loving More activity in the right hemisphere = more socially withdrawn and more responsive to emotional stimuli

What is the facial feedback hypothesis? Give an example

the brain gets information from the body based on what it's doing e.g., a fake smile can fool the brain into thinking you are happy, so stress is reduced and heart rate is lowered

What is the principle of double effect? (2)

It is permissible to indirectly cause harm if the action promotes an even greater good However it is not permissible to directly cause harm, even in the pursuit of greater good

What brain areas are activated when contemplating the trolley/footbridge/lifeboat dilemmas? (3)

Insula Hippocampus Amygdala

What is the insula responsible for? (5)

gustatory & sensorimotor processing risk-reward behaviour autonomics pain pathways auditory & vestibular functioning

Why is pulling the level easier than pushing a person (trolley & footbridge dilemma)? Explain in terms of social norms, cognitive load & automaticity, attribution of responsibility, and evolutionary perspective (4)

Social norms - pulling the lever aligns with the social norm of minimizing harm Cognitive load & automaticity - pulling the lever requires less cognitive effort and is more automatic Attribution of responsibility - pulling the lever is an indirect consequence while pushing the person is a direct act Evolutionary perspective - favouring actions (pulling the lever) that minimize harm may have survival advantages

What is kin selection?

Prioritizing helping close relatives due to shared genes, enhancing group survival

What is reciprocal altruism?

helping others with the expectation of future assistance

What are the functions (2) and dysfunctions (4) of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex?

Functions: - values - morality Dysfunction: - poor risk assessment - no moral reasoning - impulsivity - no guilt

What are the functions (3) and dysfunctions (2) of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex?

Functions: - delayed gratification - working memory - emotion regulation Dysfunctions: - choosing immediate gratification - inability to suppress intense emotions

What are the functions (3) and dysfunctions (2) of the orbitofrontal cortex?

Functions: - punishment sensitivity - learning consequences Dysfunctions : - inability to adapt behaviour to punishment - no considering consequences

Characteristics of the prefrontal cortex (3)

Goal oriented thinking Reasoning & decision making Social & emotional intelligence

Functions of the prefrontal cortex (2)

Selects best course of action Receives info from perceptual and motor brain areas, and subcortical areas

What happens when the prefrontal cortex is damaged? (2)

a break in the feedback loops of reason and emotion no anticipation of feelings of loss or gain

What were the changes in the case of Phineas Gage (damage to frontal lobe)? (4)

Change in personality Untrustworthy Liar Use of profanity

What happened to Elliot after having a tumour removed from his frontal lobe? (2)

Could recall facts about his life but with no emotion tied to them Decision-making was impaired due to no somatic markers

What is the Somatic Marker Hypothesis? (2)

When thinking about a course of action, you imagine your body in a potential situation and either get a good or bad feeling about it Those feelings are the somatic markers, which filter away alternatives, creating a shortcut to decision making

What happens to people with damage to the amygdala?

they do not experience the intensity of feelings of loss or gain

Explain loss aversion (2)

When at a loss, we become riskier We are wired to avoid losses more than to seek gains

When do risk-taking behaviours result in reward, from an evolutionary stand point? (3)

Resource acquisition - allows exploration of new territories Social status & mating - increased social status or access to mates Adaptation to change - exploring new strategies when faced with scarcity/loss

Is decision making entirely rational?

No - it requires emotions