Emotions 1 Flashcards
What are the 2 core features of emotion?
1) When
2) Multi-component phenomena
Multi-component phenomena are a core feature of emotion. What are the 4 main components of emotion?
1) Subjective experience
2) Behaviours
3) Autonomic
4) Hormonal
Describe the modal model of emotion. List 4 steps.
1) Situation
2) Attention
3) Appraisal
4) Response
How many components do emotional responses consist of?
3
An emotional response consists of 3 components. What are they?
1) Behavioural
2) Autonomic
3) Hormonal
What is a behavioural emotional response pattern?
Muscle movements appropriate for the situation
Muscle movements appropriate for the situation
This is known as…?
Behavioural emotional response pattern
What is an autonomic emotional response pattern?
Facilitate behaviours by providing quick mobilization of energy for movement
Facilitate behaviours by providing quick mobilization of energy for movement
This is known as…?
Autonomic emotional response pattern
What is a hormonal emotional response pattern?
Reinforce autonomic responses via brain mechanisms
Reinforce autonomic responses via brain mechanisms
This is known as…?
Hormonal emotional response pattern
True or False?
Behavioural, Autonomic and Hormonal emotional response patterns are organised by the same neural systems
False
Behavioural, Autonomic and Hormonal emotional response patterns are organised by different neural systems
The integration for fear is controlled by the …?
Amygdalae
Amygdalae controls…?
The integration for fear
What are the 3 components of the amygdala in fear processing?
1) Lateral nucleus
2) Basal Nucleus
3) Central Nucleus
What is the Lateral Nucleus?
Main input nucleus in fear processing
Where does the Lateral Nucleus send its projections?
Sends internal and some external projections
Where does the Basal Nucleus send its projections?
Sends internal and limited external projections
What is the central nucleus?
Main output nucleus
Where does the Central Nucleus send its projections?
Sends projections to various brain regions
e.g. hypothalamus, brain stem, etc.
When a threatening nucleus is present, which nucleus in the amygdala is activated?
Central nucleus
Which nucleus in the amygdala is the main output nucleus?
Central nucleus
Which nucleus in the amygdala is the main input nucleus?
Lateral nucleus
Which nucleus in the amygdala sends internal and some external projections?
Lateral nucleus
Which nucleus in the amygdala sends internal and limited external projections?
Basal nucleus
Which nucleus in the amygdala sends projections to various brain regions?
Central nucleus
What happens when the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala is damaged?
Reduces or abolishes a wide range of emotional responses
When the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala is damaged, it reduces or abolishes a wide range of emotional responses.
What happens to animals in terms of fear?
Animals no longer show fear when faced with stimuli that are paired with aversive events
Monkeys with amygdala lesions are not afraid of snakes
True or False?
True
When the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala is damaged, it reduces or abolishes a wide range of emotional responses.
What happens to animals in terms of tamed actions?
Animals act more tamely when handled by humans
They have lower stress levels in their blood and are likely to develop stress-induced illnesses
Which nucleus in the amygdala is responsible for the establishment of a conditioned emotional response?
Lateral Nucleus
The lateral nucleus in the amygdala is responsible for the establishment of a conditioned emotional response.
How does this work? List 2 steps
1) Neurons in the Lateral Nucleus communicate with neurons in the Central Nucleus
2) The Central Nucleus communicates with the regions that are responsible for the behavioural, autonomic and hormonal components of the conditioned emotional response
1) Neurons in the Lateral Nucleus communicate with neurons in the Central Nucleus
2) The Central Nucleus communicates with the regions that are responsible for the behavioural, autonomic and hormonal components of the conditioned emotional response
This is known as…?
Conditioned emotional response by the Lateral Nucleus
Define extinction
A learned process that the conditioned stimulus is no longer followed by an aversive stimulus
A learned process that the conditioned stimulus is no longer followed by an aversive stimulus
This is known as…?
Extinction
True or False?
Extinction is the same as forgetting
False
Extinction is when a behaviour is inhibited but not forgotten (it can be retrieved the same way one had learned that particular behaviour)
Which part of the brain is responsible for extinction/removing associations or inhibiting emotional responses?
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)
What is the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) responsible for?
Extinction/removing associations or inhibiting emotional responses
True or False?
Stimulation of the vmPFC produces conditioned emotional responses
False
Stimulation of the vmPFC inhibits conditioned emotional responses
What activates vmPFC neurons?
Extinction training
Extinction training activates …?
vmPFC neurons
True or False?
Lesions to the vmPFC improve extinction
False
Lesions to the vmPFC impair extinction
What happens to extinction when there is a lesion to the vmPFC
Extinction becomes impaired
What is a phobia?
Unreasonable fear associated with a specific object or situation
Unreasonable fear associated with a specific object or situation
This is known as…?
Phobias
What are the 4 symptoms of phobias?
1) Avoidance of object or situation
2) Persistence of fear over time
3) Significant distress associated with the fear or avoidance
4) Awareness that phobia is irrational or unreasonable
What do vmPFC activations predict in terms of therapy?
Predicts which therapy will work better to help people with certain phobias/ exposure therapy outcome
True or False?
Emotions are mono-component phenomena
False
Emotions are multi-component phenomena
True or False?
Amygdala is involved in fear processing
True
True or False?
Lateral Nucleus is the most important nucleus in fear processing
False
Central Nucleus is the most important nucleus in fear processing
True or False?
Basal Nucleus is the most important nucleus in establishing a conditioned emotional response
False
Lateral Nucleus is the most important nucleus in establishing a conditioned emotional response
True or False?
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex is activated by extinction training
True
True or False?
Activation in the vmPFC fails to predict exposure therapy outcomes for people with diagnosed spider phobias
False
Activation in the vmPFC predict exposure therapy outcomes for people with diagnosed spider phobias
What did the James-Lange Theory of Emotion suggest regarding physiological responses and behaviours?
Emotion-producing situations produce physiological responses and behaviours
What did the James-Lange Theory of Emotion suggest regarding organs and muscles involved in emotions?
Feedback from the organs and muscles involved in physiological responses and behaviours organise how we feel emotions
Which theory claims this?
Feedback from the organs and muscles involved in physiological responses and behaviours organise how we feel emotions
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Which theory claims this?
Emotion-producing situations produce physiological responses and behaviours
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
According to the James-Lange Theory of Emotion, how do we produce emotions?
1) Stimulus
2) Brain processes stimulus
3) Produce Behavioural, Autonomic and/or Hormonal responses
4) Feedback from responses
5) Produce feelings of emotion
Which theory proposes we produce emotions following these steps:
1) Stimulus
2) Brain processes stimulus
3) Produce Behavioural, Autonomic and/or Hormonal responses
4) Feedback from responses
5) Produce feelings of emotion
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
What did Hohman aim to investigate in their study based on the James-Lange Theory of Emotion?
Hohman (1966) aimed to describe any alterations in emotional feeling that might have occurred as a result of a spinal cord injury
Who were the participants in Hohman’s study describing any alterations in emotional feeling that might have occurred as a result of a spinal cord injury?
25 veterans who had spinal cord injuries
What did Hohman predict in his study describing any alterations in emotional feeling that might have occurred as a result of a spinal cord injury?
There would be a decrease in emotional feelings in spinal cord injury patients, worse if they show lesions higher up the spinal cord
What was the procedure in Hohman’s study describing any alterations in emotional feeling that might have occurred as a result of a spinal cord injury?
A structured interview
What were the findings of Hohman’s study describing any alterations in emotional feeling that might have occurred as a result of a spinal cord injury?
List 2
1) Patients with a spinal cord injury experienced decreased feelings of anger, sexual excitement, fear and ‘overall feelings’ (it does not abolish emotions but reduces them)
2) The more extensive the disruption, the greater the decrease in emotional feelings
What did the findings of Hohman’s study, describing any alterations in emotional feeling that might have occurred as a result of a spinal cord injury, conclude?
Data supports the view that disruption of the autonomic nervous system causes changes in experienced emotional feelings
Supports the James-Lange Theory of Emotion
What were the limitations of Hohman’s study, describing any alterations in emotional feeling that might have occurred as a result of a spinal cord injury?
List 5 limitations
1) Experimenter Bias (Hohman was paraplegic; affected by paralysis of the legs and lower body)
2) No pre-injury emotion assessment
3) All institutionalised
4) No control group (memory, age, gender effects)
5) Attenuated not abolished
Did Hohman’s study support or oppose the James-Lange Theory of Emotion?
Support
Describe the experiment by Cannon et al. opposing the James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Cannon cut off the nerves in the autonomic nervous system in cats (sympathetic nerves)
The cat’s hairs on the right side (where the cut connection occurred) did not stand up in response to cold air
Describe the aim of the experiment by Cannon et al. opposing the James-Lange Theory of Emotion
To study emotional responses to outward stimuli
Describe the findings of the experiment by Cannon et al. opposing the James-Lange Theory of Emotion
List 2 findings
1) The cat was not able to experience somatic signals
2) The cat was able to demonstrate
anger, fear, and pleasure but these are physiological responses rather than feelings
What did the Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion propose?
Cannon and Bard (1927) provided an alternative view to how we might experience emotions and included the thalamus as the mediating centre in the brain
Which theory provided an alternative view to how we might experience emotions and included the thalamus as the mediating centre in the brain?
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
How do we produce emotions based on the Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion?
1) Stimulus
2) Brain processes stimulus
3) Subcortical activity in the Thalamus
4a) Either produce physiological responses
4b) or produce feelings of emotions
Which theory of emotion proposes that we produce emotions following these steps:
1) Stimulus
2) Brain processes stimulus
3) Subcortical activity in the Thalamus
4a) Either produce physiological responses
4b) or produce feelings of emotions
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
Which theory was the first to incorporate a link to the brain?
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
Which theory sets the scene for modern theories of emotion that incorporate neural systems into our understanding of emotion?
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
What did MacLean propose about the limbic system and emotions?
The Limbic System was involved in emotional processing
Which of the theories of emotions is a 2-factor theory of emotion?
Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion
What does the Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion suggest?
Emotional experiences are based on two factors (1) physiological arousal and (2) cognitive label.
The Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion suggests that emotional experiences are based on two factors.
What are they?
1) Physiological arousal
2) Cognitive label
Which theory of emotion suggests that emotional experiences are based on two factors?
Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion
Which theory of emotion was the first to bring in a cognitive component?
e.g.cognitive appraisal, setting the direction for many future models of emotion
Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion
Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion was the first to bring in …?
A cognitive component to emotions
Which theory of emotion proposes that we produce emotions following these steps:
1) Stimulus
2) Physiological responses
3) Cognitive label
4) Feelings of emotion
Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion
How do we produce emotions, based on the Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion?
1) Stimulus
2) Physiological responses
3) Cognitive label
4) Feelings of emotion
Schachter and Singer tested …… to explain the physiological changes they experience.
How people use cues in their environment
What were the 3 hypotheses of Schachter and Singer’s study investigating how people use cues in their environment to explain the physiological changes they experience?
- If a person experiences a state of arousal for which they have no immediate explanation, they will “label” this state and describe their feelings in terms of the cognitions available to them at that time.
- If a person experiences a state of arousal for which they have an appropriate explanation (e.g., “I feel this way because I have just received an injection of adrenaline”), they will be unlikely to label their feelings in terms of the alternative cognitions available.
- If a person is put in a situation, which in the past could have made them feel an emotion, they will react emotionally or experience emotions only if they are in a state of physiological arousal.
What were the 2 emotion conditions of Schachter and Singer’s study investigating how people use cues in their environment to explain the physiological changes they experience?
1) Euphoria condition
2) Anger condition
What were the 4 drug conditions of Schachter and Singer’s study investigating how people use cues in their environment to explain the physiological changes they experience?
1) Epinephrine (adrenaline) informed
2) Epinephrine (adrenaline) ignorant
3) Epinephrine (adrenaline) misinformed ONLY FOR EUPHORIA CONDITION
4) Placebo
What were the findings of Schachter and Singer’s study investigating how people use cues in their environment to explain the physiological changes they experience?
Participants interpret physical sensations either as emotional arousal and join in with euphoric or angry behaviours, OR interpret them as side effects and do not engage
What did the findings of Schachter and Singer’s study, investigating how people use cues in their environment to explain the physiological changes they experience, conclude?
Emotions are the result of the interaction between physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation
What were the limitations of Schachter and Singer’s study, investigating how people use cues in their environment to explain the physiological changes they experience?
List 3 limitations
1) Difficulty replicating the study
2) The theory does not provide an account of how the nervous system is involved in
emotional processing
3) Many newer theories of emotion try to
encompass different aspects of affective processing and their neural networks
What was the main study which supported the James-Lange Theory of Emotion?
Hohman (1996) spinal cord injuries study
What was the main study which supported the Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion?
Cannon’s study on a cat with a severed spinal cord still demonstrated emotions
What was the main study which supported the Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion?
Emotions are the result of the interaction between physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation based on Schachter and Singer’s study
Emotions are the result of the interaction between physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation based on Schachter and Singer’s study
Which theory of emotion does this study support?
Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion
Cannon’s study on a cat with a severed spinal cord still demonstrated emotions
Which theory of emotion does this study support?
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
Hohman (1996) spinal cord injuries study
Which theory of emotion does this study support?
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Define emotion regulation
How emotions themselves are regulated: shaping which emotions you have, when you have them, how you experience or express these emotions
How emotions themselves are regulated: shaping which emotions you have, when you have them, how you experience or express these emotions
This is known as…?
Emotion regulation
What are the 3 core features of emotion regulation?
1) Activation of a goal
2) Engagement of processes responsible for altering the emotion trajectory dynamics
3) Impact on emotion dynamics
Describe the process model of emotion regulation
The process model builds upon the modal model of emotion and treats each step in the emotion-generative process as a potential target for regulation
Which model builds upon the modal model of emotion and treats each step in the emotion-generative process as a potential target for regulation?
The process model of emotion regulation
What are the five families of strategies that are defined by when they impact the emotion generation process?
1) Situation selection
2) Situation modification
3) Attentional deployment
4) Cognitive change
5) Response modulation
The five families of strategies in the process model of emotion regulation are embedded in a wider process where ….?
List 3 actions needed to be taken
1) A need for regulation is identified
2) Strategies are selected and implemented
3) Strategies are monitored to check for success
How do we produce emotions based on the Process Model of Emotion Regulation?
1) Situation
2) Attention
3) Appraisal
4) Response
Situation modification is involved in which part of the emotion production?
a) Situation
b) Attention
c) Appraisal
d) Response
a) Situation
Attentional Deployment is involved in which part of the emotion production?
a) Situation
b) Attention
c) Appraisal
d) Response
b) Attention
Cognitive Change is involved in which part of the emotion production?
a) Situation
b) Attention
c) Appraisal
d) Response
c) Appraisal
Response Modulation is involved in which part of the emotion production?
a) Situation
b) Attention
c) Appraisal
d) Response
d) Response
How do we regulate emotions according to the process model of emotion regulation?
1) Identification of the need for regulation
2) Selection of strategies from the 5 families of strategies
3) Implementation and monitoring to check for the success of selected strategies
Define Cognitive Reappraisal
A strategy to reduce levels of negative emotion experience
A strategy to reduce levels of negative emotion experience is known as…?
Cognitive Reappraisal
What are the 2 common treatments for anxiety/depression?
1) Talking Therapies (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT))
2) Medications (Antidepressants; e.g. SSRIs)
Describe the aim of Gorka et al.’s study investigating whether Talking therapies or Medications are the better treatment
To evaluate whether neural responses to three types of emotion processing (experience, regulation, and perception) were able to predict symptom improvement and correlate with symptom change after either use of SSRIs or CBT
Who were the participants in Gorka et al.’s study investigating whether Talking therapies or Medications are the better treatment?
55 treatment-seeking adults with either depression and/or anxiety
They were randomized to 12 weeks of SSRIs or CBT
What were the findings of Gorka et al.’s study investigating whether Talking therapies or Medications are the better treatment?
1) Amygdala and Insula activity during emotion perception is reduced by both SSRI and CBT treatments
2) Both treatments predict anxiety and depression symptom improvement
Describe the aim of Nord et al.’s study investigating neural changes following antidepressant treatment versus psychological therapy for affective disorders
To test the convergence and divergence of antidepressant- and psychotherapy-evoked neural changes, and their overlap with the brain’s affect network
Describe the methods of Nord et al.’s study investigating neural changes following antidepressant treatment versus psychological therapy for affective disorders
1) The study assessed the common and distinct neural changes evoked by antidepressant medication and psychotherapy
2) The study then assessed whether the neural changes overlapped with the brain’s emotional network
Describe the findings of Nord et al.’s study investigating neural changes following antidepressant treatment versus psychological therapy for affective disorders
1) Both Talking Therapy and Medication treatments lead to changes in the emotion network
2) But the results suggest that the effects of the treatments on affect processing occur via different neurocognitive mechanisms
True or False?
Emotion regulation is about how emotions themselves are regulated
True
True or False?
Process Model of Emotion Regulation does not treat each step in the emotion-generative process as a potential target for emotion regulation
False
Process Model of Emotion Regulation treats each step in the emotion-generative process as a potential target for emotion regulation
Process Model of Emotion Regulation treats each step in the emotion-generative process as …?
A potential target for emotion regulation
True or False?
Neural mechanisms behind cognitive reappraisal (reducing levels of negative emotional experience) stay the same in people with anxiety and mood-related conditions
False
Neural mechanisms behind cognitive reappraisal (reducing levels of negative emotional experience) are changed in people with anxiety and mood-related conditions
What do neural mechanisms behind cognitive reappraisal do?
Reduces levels of negative emotional experience
True or False?
Treatments for anxiety and mood-related conditions lead to changes in the emotion network and all mechanisms are the same
False
Treatments for anxiety and mood-related conditions lead to changes in the emotion network but the mechanisms are different
What are the 5 parts of the valuation systems (appraisal/evaluation stage of emotion regulation) that are involved in the Neural Basis of Emotion Regulation?
- Dorsal mPFC (conceptual/belief-desire descriptions of value)
- Rostral mPFC (attending to and judging value)
- Ventral mPFC (value of stimulus in current context)
- Ventral Striatum (reward/reinforcement value)
- Amygdala (arousal/threat value of stimulus)
What are the 5 parts of the regulation/control systems that are involved in the Neural Basis of Emotion Regulation?
- Dorsal ACC (conflicting monitoring)
- Dorsal posterior mPFC (selective attention/working memory)
- Dorsolateral PFC (selective attention/working memory)
- Inferior Parietal (selective attention/working memory)
- Ventrolateral PFC (selection/inhibition)
What is the role of the regulation/control systems in emotion regulation? List 3 roles
1) Monitoring conflicts between the desired state and the actual state
2) Thinking about the different emotion regulation strategies we have access to and which would be best applied to reach a particular goal
3) Generating context-appropriate responses
What is the role of the valuation systems in emotion regulation? List 2 roles
Evaluate the situation or stimuli given goals, context and prior experiences (appraisal/evaluation stage in emotion regulation process)
Is Dorsal mPFC involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Valuation
Is Rostral mPFC involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Valuation
Is Ventral mPFC involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Valuation
Is Ventral Striatum involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Valuation
Is Amygdala involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Valuation
Is Dorsal ACC involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Regulation/control
Is Dorsal posterior mPFC involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Regulation/control
Is Dorsolateral PFC involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Regulation/control
Is Inferior Parietal involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Regulation/control
Is Ventrolateral PFC involved in the valuation systems or regulation/control systems?
Regulation/control
Which regions of the brain are active during cognitive appraisal in emotion regulation?
- Amygdala
- PFC
- Dorsal medial PFC
- Dorsal lateral PFC
- Medial PFC
- Ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)
- Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC)
Define a Meta-analysis
Using a statistical technique to summarise info from lots of different studies to create an overarching overview
The overview has a lot more power than each individual study, often with small sample sizes
According to a Meta-analysis of Emotion Regulation in the Brain, which parts of the brain are active during reappraisal?
- Middle and Inferior frontal gyrus
- Cingulate gyrus
- Insular
- Superior, Temporal and Super marginal gyrus
What is the drawback of a Meta-analysis study of Emotion Regulation in the Brain?
You lose the specificity of the particular emotion regulation task you’re looking at
Some regions are only activated during particular emotion regulation strategies and won’t show up in the wider picture if you’re looking at lots of different strategies together
What were the results of meta-analysis studies investigating Emotion Dysregulation measured in brain activity? List 2 results
1) People with mood and anxiety conditions recruited the regulatory network to a lesser extent than people who did not have mood and anxiety-diagnosed conditions
2) People with mood and anxiety conditions experienced an increase in activation in regions associated with emotional experience and in regions that help compensate for emotion regulation
People with mood and anxiety conditions recruited the regulatory network to a lesser extent than people who did not have mood and anxiety-diagnosed conditions
What does this suggest?
The regulation network does not work as well for people with mood and anxiety conditions
People with mood and anxiety conditions experienced an increase in activation in regions associated with emotional experience and in regions that help compensate for emotion regulation
What does this suggest?
There are 2 different ways in which the networks involved in emotion regulation might be different for people with mood and anxiety disorders compared to people without disorders
Shows there’s more than one way to explain why a person with depression or anxiety can respond to a particular situation
People with mood conditions have problems with…?
a. Down-regulating positive emotions
b. Up-regulating negative emotions
c. Down-regulating negative emotions
d. Up-regulating positive emotions
c. Down-regulating negative emotions
People with anxiety and other conditions have problems with…?
a. Down-regulating positive emotions
b. Up-regulating negative emotions
c. Down-regulating negative emotions
d. Up-regulating positive emotions
a. Down-regulating positive emotions
c. Down-regulating negative emotions
d. Up-regulating positive emotions
Which age period is the socio-emotional maturation?
Adolescence (12-25 years old)
How are discrepancies identified according to the process model of emotion regulation?
One’s state in which they would like to be in is compared with the state they are currently in (discrepancy between current state and goal state)
