Emotions 1 & 2 (midterm 5) Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the facets of emotion?

A

Subjective experience ▫ Feelings, “qualia” • Bodily (physiological) response • Behavioral changes ▫ Facial expressions, gross motor actions • Effects on cognitive processes (strong memories for potent emotional events) Different facets are not always tightly correlated! (e.g. bodily responses and subjective feelings)

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2
Q

What are emotions for? How are they evoked?

A

• Emotions are evoked by internal or external events that are important ▫ Implications for survival and reproduction • Emotions are evolved responses which configure organisms to respond adaptively to opportunities and threats

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3
Q

Emotions as adaptations

A

• Emotions are evolved responses which prepare organisms to respond adaptively to opportunities and threats ▫ “Adaptively”: in such a way as to maximize survival and reproduction

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4
Q

Evolution by natural selection • Natural selection produces adaptations that are beneficial:

A

▫ on average ▫ over the long run ▫ in the environment in which they evolved • For instance, for any one individual, a particular emotion may not be adaptive • May not be adaptive in the modern world

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5
Q

Emotions as adaptations: How do emotions help the organism? • Interpersonal functions

A

▫ Social signals

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6
Q

Emotions as adaptations: • Intrapersonal functions

A

▫ Do the right thing at the right time ▫ Do facial expressions have intrapersonal functions?

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7
Q

_____________ enhances sensory acquisition, __________ reduces it.

A

Expressing fear enhances sensory acquisition, expressing disgust reduces it

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8
Q

Emotion vs. cognition

A

▫ If cognition is thinking, then emotion is cognition ▫ If cognition specifically means memory, attention, reasoning, then emotion is something different ▫ Emotion often involves the body (physiological responses and motor actions).

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9
Q

• Emotion vs. motivation

A

▫ Motivation: e.g. thirst, hunger, sexual desire • Closely tied to a bodily state (e.g. if you’re hungry and you eat, bodily state changes and motivation decreases) ▫ Emotions are more enduring and more abstract

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10
Q

• Emotion vs. mood

A

▫ Moods are prolonged emotions ▫ Emotions proper are more closely tied to a stimulus or event

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11
Q

State vs. trait emotions

A

▫ State: response directed at a particular stimulus/event ▫ Trait: general tendency to respond with certain emotions

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12
Q

Where do emotions come from?

A

• The emotional stimulus is not the emotion ▫ This is why two people can have different emotional reactions to the same stimulus • Rather, emotions rely on evaluations (aka appraisals) ▫ e.g., Is it a threat? Can I handle the threat? Was I expecting this? etc. ▫ Can be fast, automatic & unconscious or slower, more effortful & conscious

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13
Q

Role of appraisal in emotions

A

emotions rely on evaluations (aka appraisals) ▫ e.g., Is it a threat? Can I handle the threat? Was I expecting this? etc. ▫ Can be fast, automatic & unconscious or slower, more effortful & conscious

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14
Q

Basic emotions vs. dimensional models (Basic)

A

“Basic emotions” ▫ All humans have a set of distinct emotions (anger, surprise, sadness, disgust, fear, happiness) ▫ Distinct emotions associated with different facial expressions, bodily responses, neural correlates, action tendencies ▫ They represent distinct responses to distinct adaptive challenges (e.g. threat/fear, disease/disgust, unexpected stimuli/surprise)

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15
Q

Basic emotions vs. dimensional models ( dimensional models)

A

Dimensional models ▫ Seemingly distinct emotions can actually be described by simpler dimensions • Common dimensions: ▫ Valence (positive to negative) ▫ Arousal or intensity or activation (weak to strong)

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16
Q

Papez (1937) drew upon the work of Cannon-Bard in arguing that the hypothalamus was a key part of emotional processing, but extended this into a circuit of other regions that included

A

the regions of the cingulate cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus and anterior nucleus of the thalamus.

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17
Q

Papez circuit

A

A limbic-based circuit that was once thought to constitute a largely undifferentiated “emotional” brain. Includes the Hippocampus, hypothalamus, anterior thalamus, cingulate gyrus

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18
Q

Papez Circuit (1937) ▫ Hippocampus, hypothalamus, anterior thalamus, cingulate gyrus • Extended to “limbic system” (MacLean, 1949) * outdated but we still use Add:

A

amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, basal ganglia • Single, unified “emotional brain”

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19
Q

Orbitofrontal cortex

A

Essential for decision making

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20
Q

Problems with the “limbic system” concept

A

Undermines ‘unified circuit’ ▫ Some structures more important for other functions (e.g. hippocampus for memory) ▫ Different emotions may have somewhat different circuits

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21
Q

Emotion and the brain: Current concepts • Depending on the emotional task/situation (1) • More specialized:(2) • Less specialized:(3)

A

(1)several different neural systems may be involved • Systems may involve brain regions more or less specialized for emotional processing (2) amygdala, insula, orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (3) cingulate cortex (attention systems)

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22
Q

Amygdala location and function (animal examples)

A

Located in the temporal lobe (Add photo -almond) Early evidence: • 1930’s: Kluver-Bucy syndrome ▫ Bilateral amygdala lesions in monkeys ▫ “Tameness”, hyperorality, hypersexuality Rats with amygdala lesions do not avoid cats

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23
Q

Basic emotions vs. dimensional models

A

Add photo

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24
Q

Amygdala function (human evidence)

A

Evidence of impaired fear conditioning: ▫ Patients with amygdala damage show reduced skin conductance response to a stimulus (a blue square) that predicts shock, relative to healthy subjects. • Yet by their own report they can learn the blue square shock association ▫ “when I saw the blue square I got a shock” ▫ Patients with hippocampus damage show the opposite pattern.

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25
Q

Patient S.M. -selective, bilateral amygdala lesions due to Urbach- Wiethe disease (Normal vs impaired)

A

• Normal perception, memory, language, and reasoning provided emotional processing is not required • Does not show normal fear conditioning. • Processing of emotional/socially meaningful information is impaired Could not recognize fearful expressions & could not draw them • Critical role for the amygdala in representing fearful facial expressions

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26
Q

An alternative: Amygdala as salience detector

A

• Amygdala responds to intensity regardless of valence (both pleasant and unpleasant odors)

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27
Q

Amygdala as salience detector ((Double dissociation))

A

• In contrast, orbitofrontal cortex responds to valence regardless of intensity

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28
Q

Summary: The amygdala

A

• In animals, amygdala lesions produce “taming” • In humans, they impair experience of fear and perception of fear expressions • The amygdala plays a wider role in the processing of emotion, perhaps by encoding salience/

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29
Q

Emotions are multifaceted responses that enable organisms to:

A

respond adaptively to important stimuli

30
Q

Emotion can be thought of either as a (1) or as (2)

A

(1)basic emotions models (collection of discrete emotions) (2)dimensional models ( a set of simpler dimensions )

31
Q

Emotions depend on brain regions that are

A

more or less specific to emotional processing

32
Q

What is social cognition?

A

Social cognition refers to how we perceive ourselves and others, and how we act in particular situations

33
Q

Social neuroscience studies

A

how biological systems implement social processes and behavior

34
Q

Theory of mind (TOM)

A

▫ Ability to represent the mental states of others • Thoughts, beliefs, desires, intentions ▫ Sometimes called “mentalizing” • Empathy ▫ Emotional empathy: ability to share others’ emotional experiences ▫ (Cognitive empathy: like theory of mind) *** TOM and emotional empathy are not the same thing

35
Q

Different neural substrates (TOM) Affected by diff. Disorders….

A

▫ TOM: Superior temporal sulcus/temporoparietal junction • Affected by different disorders ▫ TOM: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

36
Q

Different neural substrates (Emotional empathy) Affected by diff. Disorders….

A

▫ Emotional empathy: Emotional brain regions, especially insula, orbitofrontal cortex • Affected by different disorders ▫ Empathy: Psychopathy, acquired sociopathy

37
Q

TOM Understanding the thoughts of others

A

• Other people have minds and they may know and believe things we don’t • Tested using False Belief Task (or Sally-Anne Task) • Typically developing (aka “neurotypical”) children pass this test at around 4 years old • Children with Down’s Syndrome pass the false belief test • Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often fail

38
Q

Symptoms of ASD

A

• Onset in early childhood (before 3 years old) • 3 main types of symptoms: ▫ Problems with social function and communication ▫ Stereotyped behaviors and restricted interests ▫ May have intellectual disabilities (e.g. low IQ) • Autism is highly heterogeneous and involves a spectrum of impairments across domains.

39
Q

ASD Social and communication problems

A

• Examples of social problems: ▫ More interested in objects than people ▫ Lack of showing or pointing ▫ Fail False Belief Test ▫ Decreased looking at faces (DEMO) ▫ Can’t use eye gaze information to infer mental states • ***People with ASD are still motivated to form social bonds*** ▫ Don’t prefer to be alone (but intense loneliness is common: trouble making friends) ▫ Not a deficit of emotional empathy • Problems with verbal communication ▫ Late development (babbling starts at 1 year as opposed to 5-7 months) ▫ Not enough speech to communicate properly ▫ May repeat back what person says (echolalia)

40
Q

Eye gaze processing in ASD

A

(Attach slide)

41
Q

(echolalia)

A

▫ May repeat back what person says (echolalia)

42
Q

Stereotyped behaviors and restricted interests

A

• Examples: ▫ Hand flapping or rocking ▫ Arranging objects in stacks or lines ▫ Preoccupation with a single TV show

43
Q

Low IQ is common in ASD (~40-80%) ▫ But:

A

Can have intellectual disabilities without ASD and ASD without intellectual disabilities

44
Q

Asperger’s Syndrome

A

• Social impairments without intellectual disability or language impairment • May still have restricted interests or repetitive behaviors

45
Q

So what causes ASD?

A

• It’s complicated and we don’t understand it • Genetic component (siblings of those with autism 25x more likely to have autism than general population) • No clear brain mechanism (unlike Parkinson’s) ▫ Overgrowth of neurons just after birth, followed by normal or slowed growth ▫ Imbalance of inhibition-excitation ▫ Abnormal formation of synapses

46
Q

Neural basis of theory of mind: FMRI evidence

A

ADD SLIDE

47
Q

TPJ as a Neural Substrate of Others’ Thoughts

A

ADD SLIDE

48
Q

Medial prefrontal cortex

A

• Supports reasoning about other people that is NOT limited to mental states ▫ E.g. forming impressions of people (vs objects), viewing personally familiar faces, observing social interactions Associated with representing both the mental states of others AND one’s own mental state ADD SLIDE

49
Q

The (1) is Associated with representing both the mental states of others AND one’s own mental state ▫ Why both? (2)

A

(1) Medial prefrontal cortex (2)• Simulation Theory: Theory of Mind depends on our ability to simulate what might be going on in the mind of someone else by drawing on our own past experiences • When should this work? ▫ More effective for others who are like us ▫ I.e., we may reason differently about similar and dissimilar others • Reasoning about similar and dissimilar others supported by different brain regions?

50
Q

Medial PFC: Perception of Self and Others PRE-SCANNING Justin is a liberal democrat and grew up in Northern California … Jack is a fundamentalist Christian with conservative political views … POST-SCANNING :

A

POST-SCANNING : Ratings of Participants’ Own Political Views Obtained How likely is Jack to drive a small car for solely environmental reasons? 1=definitely not 4=definitely How likely is Justin to drive a small car for solely environmental reasons? 1=definitely not 4=definitely

51
Q

Medial PFC: Perception of Self and Others Results after scanning (Similar and dissimilar others)

A

Ventral mPFC: More active for similar other Dorsal mPFC: More active for dissimilar other Different parts of the brain may support reasoning about similar and dissimilar others

52
Q

Different parts of the brain may support reasoning about similar and dissimilar others

A

Ventral mPFC: More active for similar others: may use knowledge of self to understand similar others Dorsal mPFC: More active for dissimilar other

53
Q

Interim Summary TPJ: mPFC: Dorsal mPFC: Ventral mPFC:

A

TPJ: Reasoning about others’ thoughts

mPFC: Reasoning about self and others :

Dorsal mPFC: dissimilar others

Ventral mPFC: self and similar others

54
Q

Emotional empathy

A

• Emotional empathy: Ability to share others’ emotional experiences • Gift of cattle to NYC by Masai tribespeople following 9/11

55
Q

Disorders of emotional empathy

A

• Autism is not a disorder of EE ▫ Not knowingly cruel or hurtful ▫ Although people with ASD may not always understand the causes of other peoples’ emotions • Instead, EE deficits can lead to psychopathy

56
Q

Psychopathy

A

• 3-4% of “normal” male population (1% female) • 15-25% of incarcerated male offenders (11% female) Features: ▫ Callous/unemotional personality ▫ Irresponsible lifestyle ▫ Inability to form lasting commitments or relationships ▫ Egocentric thinking, impulsivity

57
Q

Types of psychopathy

A

• Developmental psychopathy ▫ Early onset, not due to known brain damage ▫ Instrumental aggression: self-initiated, goal-directed, “cold” (not in response to provocation) • Acquired sociopathy ▫ Results from damage to orbitofrontal cortex ▫ Reactive aggression: response to frustration or threat, “hot”

58
Q

Explaining Acquired Sociopathy • No: • Maybe yes:

A

• No: ▫ General impairment of executive functions ▫ Impairment of theory of mind (they pass false test belief) • Maybe yes: ▫ Loss of schemas pertaining to social knowledge? ▫ Impaired use of emotional information to control behaviour? (moral judgment)

59
Q

Orbitofrontal Cortex and Social Schemas Social Faux Pas Experiment

A

ADD SLIDE • Anne receives a wedding vase as a wedding gift from Jeannette. • One year later, Anne has forgotten that the vase was from Jeannette. • While visiting Anne’s house, Jeannette accidentally breaks the vase. • Anne tells Jeannette not to worry because she never really liked the vase. Patients with orbitofrontal cortex damage failed to detect the faux pas - One explanation: have lost the knowledge for what is appropriate behavior

60
Q

Moral Decisions: The trolley problem (Patients with OFC damage)

A

• Patients with OFC damage are more likely to choose the utilitarian option in the footbridge dilemma ▫ “Push the man” • In healthy controls, “footbridge” type dilemmas are associated with activation of emotional brain regions compared to “switch” type dilemmas ▫ Emotion heavily influence behavior • OFC patients may not be able to use emotion to guide decision-making

61
Q

Anti-social behavior can result from:

A

▫ Loss of schemas pertaining to social knowledge ▫ Impaired use of emotional information to control online behaviour • The OFC is involved in both of these

62
Q

Social Cognition refers to

A

how we perceive ourselves and others, and how we act in particular situations

63
Q

• Medial PFC seems to play a role in

A

evaluating oneself and in evaluating others; with differences in localization depending on how alike we perceive that other to be

64
Q

• A number of structures (medial PFC, TPJ) are important for

A

inferring mental states of others

65
Q

• Emotional empathy is different:

A

depends more on emotional brain regions • Damage can lead to acquired sociopathy • Collectively, these structures and others contribute to social function, and guide decision making in social contexts.

66
Q

Social cognition

A

refers to how we perceive ourselves and others, and how we act in particular situations

67
Q

Social neuroscience

A

studies how biological systems implement social processes and behavior

68
Q

Theory of mind (TOM)

A

▫ Ability to represent the mental states of others • Thoughts, beliefs, desires, intentions ▫ Sometimes called “mentalizing” ▫ (Cognitive empathy: like theory of mind)

69
Q

• Empathy ▫ Emotional empathy: And cognitive empathy

A

ability to share others’ emotional experiences (Cognitive empathy: like theory of mind)

70
Q

Different neural substrates ▫ TOM: • Affected by different disorders

A

Superior temporal sulcus/temporoparietal junction ▫ TOM: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)