Emotions Flashcards
What is affective neuroscience?
The study of the neural basis of emotions and moods
What is the challenge of affective neuroscience?
Interpreting mood/emotions from behaviors
What is emotional experience?
The feelings a person experiences
What is emotional expression?
The behavioral manifestations of feelings
What is the James-Lange Theory of Emotion?
Emotion is a response to physiological changes in the body
What are the 2 arguments against the James-Lange Theory of Emotion?
1.) Even without sensation below the neck, emotions can still be experienced
2.) Many of the same body physiology changes are associated with different emotions
What is the Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion?
Emotional experience occurs independently of emotional expression
What are the 2 propositions of the Cannon-Bard theory?
1.) Sensory inputs to cortex occur without any emotion; drive the physiologic responses
2.) Inputs to the thalamus drive emotions
What is unconscious emotion?
Stimuli can evoke emotional reactions even without being consciously perceived
What are the 5 primary limbic structures?
1.) Hippocampus
2.) Amygdala
3.) Mammilary Bodies
4.) Anterior Thalamic Nuclei
5.) Subcallosal, cingulate, parahippocampal gyri
What is the Papez Circuit
Model of emotional processing that links the cortex, limbic structures, and the hypothalamus
What are the 6 basic emotions?
1.) Anger
2.) Disgust
3.) Fear
4.) Happiness
5.) Sadness
6.) Surprise
What did an fMRI study show us about our perception of fear?
1.) Bilateral activation of the amygdala when comparing fearful face to neutral
2.) No amygdala activation noted when comparing neutral face to happy face
What is the pathway of learned fear?
Inputs to basolateral nuclei that are then fed to central nucleus; amygdala is also bilaterally activated
What is aggression?
Behavioral manifestation of anger, but not an emotion
Why is aggression a topic of interest?
It can be measured in animals; emotions in animals are harder to identify than in humans
What are the 2 types of aggression?
1.) Predatory
2.) Affective
What is predatory aggression?
Attacks for the purpose of obtaining food
What is a characteristic of predatory aggression?
Little vocalization or activation of the sympathetic nervous system
What is affective aggression?
Showy aggression used to intimidate
What is a characteristic of affective aggression?
Much vocalization and sympathetic activity
What are the 3 neural bases of aggression?
1.) Amygdala
2.) Orbitofrontal cortex
3.) Anterior cingulate cortex
What is the potential role of the hypothalamus in aggression?
Translating emotions into actions
Removal of the _____ while leaving the ___________ made animals extremely aggressive
cerebrum; posterior hypothalamus
What two dynamics of speech shift with different emotions?
Intensity and frequency
