Emotions Flashcards

1
Q

How did Socrates describe emotion and reason?

A

Master and slave

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2
Q

How did Aristotle describe emotion?

A

Thought that affect influences reason and described emotions as opposites (eg. approach and withdrawal)

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3
Q

What did Stoics think about emotion?

A

Emotions were a source of frustration and were pointless. We should be impassive and use higher reason

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4
Q

What did Darwin (1872) think about emotion?

A

Hypothesised an evolutionary basis of emotion - emotions have an adaptive function

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5
Q

What evidence did Darwin cite to support his hypothesis?

A

Cited evidence that there are consistent, stereotypical expressions of emotion across species, especially in large animals.
Argued children had less formed expression, more intense feelings.
Suggested cross-cultural comparisons be conducted to test ideas

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6
Q

Why was Darwin’s hypothesis criticised?

A

Criticised for being anthropomorphic, especially with terminology

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7
Q

What is the pop psychology of physiology/emotionality?

A

Event –> emotion –> physiological change

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8
Q

What is the James-Lang theory of physiology/emotionality?

A

Event –> physiological change –> emotion

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9
Q

What is the Cannon-Bard theory of physiology/emotionality?

A

Event –> Emotion/physiological change

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10
Q

what did Blythe et al (2023) say about detecting emotion?

A

Not just facial cues – e.g., we’re really good at detecting signals from hands

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11
Q

How are emotions related to biology?

A
  • There are nervous system processes behind emotion that are based on fixed neural substrates (i.e.. hormones & neurotransmitters)
  • Stereotypical across people & can be simulated with drugs
    E.g., illegal drugs that stimulate euphoria artificially
    These physiological findings imply emotions are inborn predispositions
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12
Q

what did Ekman et al (1987) find in their cross-cultural study?

A

Corroborated results from New Guinea Fore language study (Ekman & Friesen, 1971)
6 emotions found in 10 diverse nations: happiness, sadness, surprise, anger, fear, & disgust.

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13
Q

What does Ekman et al (1987) suggest about emotion?

A

Suggests not learned & not because of internationalisation though there are cultural differences in gestures and some expressions

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14
Q

What have cross-species studies shown about emotions?

A

Social primates (including lemurs, macaques and chimps) show similar expressions
Especially expressions of fear, threat, & affection
Can look at social behaviour in context

Some evidence dogs recognise human emotions
Humans can interpret piglet calls for emotional content

Primitive vertebrates (e.g., reptiles) lack facial muscles
Suggests emotions have an evolved function*

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15
Q

What did Ekman (1972) find in their baby study?

A

Babies show clear facial expressions

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16
Q

What did DeCatanzaro (1999) find in their baby study?

A

Babies show startle response

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17
Q

What did Freedman (1964, 1979) find in their baby study?

A

Blind babies smile

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18
Q

What did Grossman et al (2008) find in their baby study?

A

Babies react to others’ expressions - especially negative emotions

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19
Q

What did Kagan (1997) find about the reactivity of infants?

A

20% of infants were highly reactive which has a long-term effect on anxiety and sociability

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20
Q

What did Ainsworth (1971,1978) find in her study into emotions in children?

A

Relationship with primary caregiver important to emotionality

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21
Q

What are the 3 sources of individual differences?

A

Genetics, environment and epigenetics

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22
Q

What is appraisal theory of emotion? (Arnold, 1960)

A

emotions constructed by an individual’s cognitive interpretation of arousal within a social context.

Event –> appraise event –> express emotion
eg. tiger –> danger –> fear

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23
Q

What is attribution theory (Weiner, 1974)?

A
  • The meaning that one ascribes to an event will affect how one feels about that event

Assessment takes place across three dimensions:
- internal/external (cause was the self versus cause was someone else)
- stable/unstable (whether cause is consistent or changes over time)
- controllable/uncontrollable (intentional versus accidental)

24
Q

What do social constructivists suggest about emotion?

A

emotions are social rather than biological & are socially dependent
But there is clear biological evidence that emotion has a biological component so most adopt integrated approach (culture and biology work together to produce emotion), e.g. Oatley (1993) & Cornelius (1996)

24
Q

What is an example of Weiner’s (1974) attribution theory?

A

E.g. negative outcome (in football)
- Controllable by other = anger (fans angry at referee for sending off player)
- Controllable by self = guilt (player feels guilty for behaviour leading to red card)
- Uncontrollable other = pity (feel towards player who slipped taking penalty)
- Uncontrollable self = shame/humiliation (felt by player who slipped taking penalty)

25
Q

What did Lazarus & Folkman (1984) think about emotion?

A

appraisal key: primary = threat vs challenge
Based on the past, decide whether event is a challenge or threat (primary appraisal) & whether can control it (secondary appraisal)

26
Q

What did Schachter’s cognitive theory suggest about emotions?

A

intensity of emotion is related to physiological response

27
Q

How are hormones implicated in emotion?

A

Hormones are slower acting
Important to emotion response:
Stress Hormones: norepinephrine, epinephrine, & cortisol
Androcorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), produced in response to biological stress

28
Q

How are neurotransmitters implicated in emotion?

A

Neurotransmitters are way neurons communicate with each other
Serotonin is implicated in mood states
Dopamine is involved in pleasure & reward (ATBB - Addiction)

29
Q

How is cortisol implicated in emotion?

A

Part of the flight/fright response, released by adrenal glands in response to ACTH. It has implications for the immune system (reason why illness spikes during holiday periods – immune response dampened during times of stress, bacteria are allowed to multiply, then during relaxation, immune response escalates, and experience symptoms as fight of bacteria).

30
Q

How do hormones work?

A

Hormone systems like the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) are activated by pituitary or other glands
Once activated, pituitary releases stress hormones that stimulate release of adrenaline (fight/flight hormone) or cortisol (stress hormone)
Enter blood, reach organs, produce reaction (e.g. increase heart rate)

31
Q

How does stress affect the body?

A

Decreases testosterone & can affect reproductive capability in general

Immune response is decreased by cortisol (fight now, recover later)
- Why people frequently get sick on holiday
- Influences cardiac function (see Almada et al., 1991)

32
Q

How are stress hormones such as cortisol produced?

A

Relates to activation of sympathetic & parasympathetic

Cortisol is primary hormone produced by HPA, changes physiological response
Regulated by outputs from amygdala and hypothalamus

Stressors that produce negative affect, increase cortisol
But can experience habituation and sensitisation.

33
Q

What did Gunnar et al (1989) do in their cross-sectional study and what did they find and conclude?

A

Looked at hormonal and behavioural response across ages to injections:
Preschool, older preschool, & school-age

Preschool age children had most crying
Older preschool had highest cortisol levels
Oldest children had lowest level of both

Concluded that learn the ‘display rules’ of emotions & how to control emotions as we age - suggests some differences across lifespan and also individual differences in neuroticism

34
Q

what is an example of sociocultural effects producing differences in emotional reactivity?

A

weeping often seen as a sign of ‘weakness’, which may explain why it decreases as we age

35
Q

What is an example of the brain’s involvement in emotional reactivity?

A

teens are particularly sensitive to socio-emotional cues

36
Q

What hormone plays a role in aggression?

A

Androgens
Can change behaviour through synthetic manipulations, e.g. Clark & Galef’s (1999) testosterone injection study
Does not mean behaviour determined by hormones

Respond to environment (e.g. seasonal change) & behaviour (e.g. winning)

37
Q

How are autonomic reflexes implicated in emotion?

A

Autonomic reflexes are active in most emotions, which are experienced as subjective sensations
Sympathetic portion rapidly activated during arousal,
stress, & many emotions

38
Q

What did Papez (1937) propose about emotion?

A

An emotion circuit - circuit of Papez (limbic system)

39
Q

What does the limbic system consist of?

A

System consists of hypothalamus & interconnecting limbic structures
Including septum, amygdala, hippocampus, & adjacent areas
- Circuit went from mammillary body of hypothalamus, through anterior thalamic nuclei, to paleocortex, through hippocampus, returning to the midbrain via the fornix.

40
Q

What is the neocortex?

A

higher order cognition, influenced by emotions & vice versa
Substantial interconnections of neocortex & limbic system serve these interactions - This allows for self-evaluative emotions that require theory of mind, and are thought of as ‘secondary’ emotions – e.g. jealousy, empathy, embarrassment, shame – also require moral reasoning.

41
Q

What have non-invasive fMRI scans of awake animals shown about the Papez circuit?

A

Papez circuit is activated during behaviours that show motivation for aggression & which precede aggressive displays directed towards intruders (Ferris, 2013).

42
Q

What is the activation of the lateral hypothalamus and medial basal amydgala critical for?

A

organisation and expression of aggressive behaviour.

43
Q

What does LeDoux’s Amygdala Theory of Fear (1996) suggest?

A

Input from sources travel to amygdala
Respond to stimuli & experience fear (via message to fear system)
Direct path = quicker thalamo-cortico in ANS
Amygdala response is conditioned, which is why startle at benign objects

44
Q

Which system underlies the stress response?

A

Adrenocortical system - glands produce cortisol and testosterone - Cortisol flows in blood, binds to receptors, including amygdala & hippocampus i.e., stress response system works as feedback loop

45
Q

What have lesion studies (Of cerebral cortex) shown about fear and anger?

A

shame rage when provoked & ANS arousal
Thought hypothalamus emotional centre & neocortex inhibits emotional expression
Lack coordinated integrated behavioural system (Bard & Cannon, 1928)

46
Q

What have lesion studies (Of temporal lobe) shown about fear and anger?

A

Temporal lobe loss results in no fear being displayed
Klaver-Bucy Syndrome = can’t coordinate function b/c temp lobe damaged
Damage to amygdala = emotional components of Klaver-Bucy syndrome

47
Q

What are activated when hearing expressions of digust?

A

Insula and putamen (part of basal ganglia)

48
Q

What does damage to the insula and putamen lead to?

A

Damage = poor recognition (case study)
Other emotions were unaffected (Calder et al., 2000; Phillips et al., 1998)

49
Q

What are the right basotemporal lobe and right orbitofrontal lobe associated with?

A

Mania

50
Q

What are the 4 main regions in the control of emotionality?

A

Anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex
Anterior insula
Right temporal
Posterior cingulate cortex

51
Q

How are the anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex associated with emotion?

A

Represent emotional state

52
Q

How is the anterior insula associated with emotion?

A

processing physiological response (James-Lang theory)
(There is also some evidence that lateralisation matters but the evidence is mixed)

53
Q

How is the right temporal lobe associated with emotion?

A

emotion memories & interpretation of emotional stimuli

54
Q

How is the posterior cingulate cortex associated with emotion?

A

regulates autonomic response