Emotions and Stress Flashcards
Which of the following theories proposes that defensive behavioral reactions and the conscious feeling of fear are separate consequences of threat detection that are mediated by different but interacting systems?
A. Schachter and Singer’s two-factor theory
B. LeDoux’s two-system theory
C. Cannon-Bard theory
D. Lazarus’s cognitive appraisal theory
Answer B is correct. LeDoux’s two-system theory proposes that fear consists of two separate but interacting systems that both respond to threatening stimuli: The subcortical system reacts quickly and automatically to sensory information about a threatening stimulus with physiological and defensive behavioral responses. The cortical system processes information from the senses, the subcortical system, and episodic and semantic memory using relevant cognitive processes (e.g., attention, working memory, and decision-making) to generate, when appropriate, the conscious feeling of fear.
The __________ is responsible for attaching emotions to memories.
A. amygdala
B. hippocampus
C. thalamus
D. cingulate gyrus
Answer A is correct. The amygdala is involved in several aspects of emotion including attaching emotions to memories.
According to Lazarus’s (1991) cognitive appraisal theory, secondary appraisal involves:
A. determining if an event is irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful.
B. re-evaluating a primary appraisal when additional information is obtained.
C. considering what coping options are available for dealing with a stressful event.
D. determining if an emotional response to an event is appropriate.
Answer C is correct. Cognitive appraisal theory distinguishes between three types of appraisal: primary arousal, secondary arousal, and reappraisal. Secondary appraisal involves considering what coping options are available to deal with a stressful event.
Damage to certain areas of the left (dominant) hemisphere are most likely to cause:
A. inappropriate rage and aggression.
B. inappropriate euphoria.
C. an indifference reaction.
D. a catastrophic reaction.
Answer D is correct. Areas in the left (dominant) hemisphere mediate happiness and other positive emotions, and damage to these areas produces a “catastrophic reaction” that involves depression, anxiety, fear, and paranoia.
Allostasis refers to:
A. the interpretation of an event as personally important and stressful.
B. the beneficial effects of moderate (normal) levels of stress.
C. adaptive processes that maintain the body’s stability during times of stress.
D. long-term “wear-and-tear” on the body that’s caused by chronic stress.
Answer C is correct. Allostasis “refers to the adaptation processes of the body to stress that help maintain homeostasis – to maintain stability in the face of change” (T. A. Storlie, Person-centered communication with older adults: The professional provider’s guide, London, Academic Press, p. 113, 2015).
Which of the following attributes the experience of emotion to physiological arousal followed by assigning a cognitive label to that arousal?
A. Schachter and Singer’s two-factor theory
B. Cannon-Bard theory
C. Lazarus’s cognitive appraisal theory
D. Hering’s opponent process theory
Answer A is correct. Two-factor theory is also known as cognitive arousal theory and describes the experience of emotion as the result of physiological arousal and assigning a cognitive label (attribution) to the arousal.
A psychology undergraduate tells his roommate who’s depressed that, if he smiles more often, he’ll feel a lot better. The student’s suggestion is consistent with the predictions of which of the following?
A. Cannon-Bard theory
B. two-factor theory
C. James-Lange theory
D. cognitive appraisal theory
Answer C is correct. The student’s suggestion is consistent with James-Lange theory, which proposes that people conclude that they’re sad because they cry, and scared because their hearts are pounding.
