Emotions Flashcards
What are the three main theories of emotion?
James-Lange theory
Cannon-Bard theory
Schachter-SInger Two-factor theory
What is James-Lange Theory?
Emotions are the result of perceived bodily changes in response to some stimulus in the environment
1) appraisal of stimulus
2) physiological respinse
3) emotional experience
Cannon-bard Theory of Emotion
Bodily response and emotional experience occur simultaneously
1) stimulus
2) physiological and emotional experience
Schater-Singer Two factor Theory of Emotion
Emotional response is the result of interpretative label applied to a bodily response, emotion involves cognitive appraisal about the source of the bodily response
1) stimulus
2) physiological response + appraisal + emotional experience
Describe the emotions as basic/discrete categories approach to emotion
Emotions as adaptive, coming from evolved behaviours. Hardwired responses to solve specific survival problems. They coordinate cognition, physiological responses, subjective experiences, and behaviour.
What makes an emotion, a basic emotion?
It must be universal, emerge early, have physiological distinctivness
What are the 7 emotional systems proposed by Panksepp? What do they do?
Care- promotes nuturing and caregiving
Play- encourages social engagement, learning social rules, building social bonds, emotion regulation
Panic/grief- promotes social reconnection and attachment maintenance
Rage- mobilizes an aggressive response to threat, restraint, or frustration
Fear- promotes survival through avoidance and escape
Seeking- generates enthusiasm, curiousity, sense of purpose
Lust- drives reproductive behaviour and sexual attraction
What is the dimensional approach to emotion?
Suggests that emotions exist on a continuos scale rather than in discrete categories
Two dimensions: Valence (pleasant or unpleasant) vs. Arousal (high or low activation)
ex. negative, low arousal = gloomy
ex. positive, high arousal= delighted
What is emotional granularity?
the ability to finely differentiate emotional experience
What is the key idea behind psychological construction theories of emotions?
Argue that emotions aren’t biologically hardwired categories but are constructed using concepts we learn from those around us
- Constructionists argue that people rely on situational cues and learned concepts to interpret and label feelings, bodily arousal is nor necessary
What is fear vs. anxiety?
Fear is a response to a specific, immediate threat that involves intense feelings, facial expressions, physiological reactions, and action tendencies (flight or fight)
Anxiety is more diffuse, non-specific
What is the function of fear/anxiety?
Adaptively, it heightens attention to threat and prepares the body for action
What is the function and proposed adaptive value of sadness?
Sadness is triggered by losses that threaten social bonds or valued goods
It signals the need for support, promotes careful thinking.
What are the two different physiological profiles associated with sadness?
1) Increased arousal (higher blood pressure and heart rate, seen when crying, likely when loss is impending)
2) Decreased arousal (lower heart rate, skin conductance, more likely when loss is final
What is the protest versus despair responses?
Protest phase: active distress
Despair phase: emotional shutdown and withdrawal to conserve resources
Seen with separation from attachment figures
What is Pankeep’s affective neuroscience perspective?
Prolonged activation of panic/grief system leads to shut down of the seeking system causing low energy and motivation (core features of depression)
Common roots of depression and addiction– both dysregulation of these motivational circuits
What are self-concious emotions?
involve heightened self-awareness and negative appraisals of the self, they all reflect the belief that we have done something wrong or fallen short of expectations
What is the difference between embarassment, shame, and guilt?
Embarrassment: often triggered by social mishaps or unwanted attention, but doesn’t necessarily mean we did something morally wrong
Shame: typically follows from moral or personal failures (hurting someone, lying, etc) and leads to negative, global, self-judgments.
Guilt: arises from specific actions (breaking a promise, neglecting someone, cheating) and is tied to feeling bad about what we did, not who we are
What is the major difference between shame and guilt?
Guilt can motivate people to take action and repair harm, but shame cannot.
What is the function of shame?
Shame displays resemble submission signals in animals which function to de-escalate conflict and prevent harm (appeasement strategy to maintain social cohesion, reduce aggression, and elicit pity)
Shame triggers emotional and physical withdrawal (similar to depressive states and sickness behaviours)
- linked to inflammation which heightens social sensitivity
When does anger arise? What is its function?
Anger motivates approach (rather than withdrawal) and is triggered by something blocking our goals or threatening our wellbeing
It helps us remove obstacles and prevent harm
What are the benefits and costs of anger?
Allows us to communicate limits to others, mild, constructive anger can strengthen relationships, can increase one’s sense of control
Can lead to damage of close relationships if poorly regulated, can lead to social or physical harm, if anger is percieved as manuipulative, people push back harder
When does boredom arise?
Boredom signals a need for change, it occurs when we cannot sustain attention or when an activity feels meaningless. It is very aversive
How can people manage boredom?
If attention is the problem bc a task is too hard –> reduce the difficulty or break down into smaller parts.
If attention is the problem because a task is too easy –> make the task more challenging
If meaning is the problem –> re-evaluate the goal, find a value in the activity
What factors predict happiness?
Some factors that contribute to life satisfaction are: close social relationships, physical health, financial stability, meaningful work, self-development, religious faith, enjoying life’s activities
history of positive social relationships foster attachment security
Higher income related to greater happiness but not as much as we think
relationship between happiness and good life outcomes are BIDIRECTIONAL
What is the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions?
Positive emotions broaden thinking, fostering creativity, curiousity, and engagement in the world. They allow us to recognize more global patterns snd be more open to new experiences.
Positive emotions promote exploration and goal-seeking.
What is enthusiasm? What is its function?
anticipating reward generates the feeling of enthusiasm
Adpative function is to motivate action and effort in pursuit of reward. It activates the physiological response similar to fear like increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Narrows attention, making individuals focus on the immediate reward
What is contentment? What is its function?
The feeling that occurs after consuming a reward, associated with the activation of the parasympathetic NS which slows heart rate and lowers blood pressure, promotes digestion and relaxation.
( In animals, brain activity switches from dapaminergic activation to beta-endorphin activity)
What is pride? What are some non-verbal expressions of pride? What is its function?
A feeling that arises when a person attributes a positive event to their OWN actions.
Expanded posture, puffed out chest, hands on hips,
Pride expressions resemble dominance displays in non-human primates , likely evolved to communicate status and achievement
What are the two types of pride?
Authentic pride:
STems from genuine accomplishment and effort. Boosts motivation, perserverance, and goal setting
Hubristic pride: is based on a sense of superiority rather than accomplishment. It is linked to narcissism and antisocial behaviour and is often periceved as boasting
What is the theory of vulnerable narcissism?
Narcissists exhibit a structural split in their self-representation system: outwardly grandiose but internally insecure
Selfenhancement and huburistic pride function as a defense against excessive shame
Adverse childhood develipment may contribute to the development of vulnerable narcissism
How does the two factor model of pride hold across cultures?
It holds but there are cultural differences in link between hubruistic pride and shame-proneness
In North America, shame may trigger hubristic pride to restore SE whereas in Collectivistic cultures, shame is viewed as positive moral and social restorative force, this defense is less necessary
Elicitors of pride also differ: Both Chinese and American participants feel pride in achievements, but Chinese individuals feel greater pride in their child’s acceptance to a prestigious institution rather than their own. Americans take equal pride in their own and their childrens’.
East Asians suppress pride expressions more than Westerners, as they view pride as less positive and associate it more wuth hubristic traits
What does the Olympic athlete study discussed in class illustrate
about cross-cultural differences in pride?
It illustrates the differences seen in pride expressions with out-group versus in-group memebers.
Olympic athletes when competing against outgroup members, both CHinese and American gold medalists showed similar pride expressions
When outperforminh ingroup members , Chinese athletes suppressed their pride more than americans
This suggests international suppression in service of maintaining in-group harmony, rather than a lack of pride
