Exam 2- Lecture 5

Question 1

Emotions

Answer 1

Are brief (only seconds or minutes)
-> moods last hours, even days

Are specific
-> responses to specific events or experiences

Are functional (motivate behavior)

• fear -> escape
• guilt -> make amends
• anger -> retribution
• physiological component makes action possible

Top five- love, anger, hate, depression, fear

Question 2

Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory

Answer 2

Positive emotions set you up to thrive

• open you up to opportunities (build resources, etc.)
• broaden thinking (creative)

Question 3

William James

Theory of where emotions come from

Answer 3

Specific physiological reaction -> specific emotion

Problem: not true, many look similar

Question 4

Schachter & Singer

Two-factor theory

Answer 4

Unexplained physiological arousal -> cognitive explanation

Suspension bridge study

• higher bridge, more likely to call
• > mistaken for love/attraction

Question 5

Lazarus- Appraisal processes

Answer 5

We evaluate events and objects based on their goal relevance

Primary appraisal:

• quick and unconscious
• relevant?
• pleasant or unpleasant?

Second appraisal:

• specific and deliberate
• evaluate the situation
• determine a specific emotional response

Question 6

Are emotions universal?

Answer 6

Darwin- YES
- similarity to emotional expressions in other animals

More recent findings:
Ekman
- 80-90% agreement on facial expressions, even in a remote tribal group

Tracy’s pride studies
- posture of pride recognized across cultures, expressed by the blind, similar to animals

BUT
some cultural variation in expression

Question 7

How emotions affect social relationships

Answer 7

Empathetic emotions
Emotional mimicry increases closeness and liking
Emotions can signal power of lack of it in a group
Self-presentational emotions (embarrassment, shame)

higher- anger
lower- embarrassment (serve as a cue to others), shame (similar)

Question 8

Empathetic emotions

Answer 8

by watching someone else experience X, helpful for emotional relationships
Disappointment, embarrassment, etc.

Question 9

How emotions affect social cognition

Answer 9

Influence how we process info and make judgements
Feelings-as-information (Schwartz & Clore)
-> determine what is going on by looking at own feelings
Positive emotions -> “top (overall/general) down”
Negative emotions -> “bottom (details) up”

Question 10

Feelings-as-information (Schwartz & Clore)

Answer 10

Determine what is going on by looking to own feelings

- use feelings as info to the state of things

Question 11

Moral judgement

Answer 11

Haidt “gut feelings” as guide for moral judgements
Sibling scenario
-> disgust, know it is wrong, but cannot justify

Moral judgement and political views
disgust sensitivity- people who are more easily disgusted tend to be more politically conservative

Question 12

Affective forecasting

Answer 12

We overestimate how positive and negative we will feel (amount and duration) in response to good and bad events

Tenure study, break up study

Because of:
Focalism
Immune neglect (forget we have it)

Question 13

Tenure study, break up study

Answer 13

Affective forecasting

Tenure- not given; bounce back within few months to year

Break up

• single; feel like it would be amazing-> not really
• relationship; feel would be devastated-> not really

Question 14

Focalism

Answer 14

Focus on the specific event, not about all the other factors that will actually come into play during the event

Question 15

Immune neglect

Answer 15

Psychological immune system

Ex. Not take blame for bad events, reconstruct events to help feel good about self, coping resources

We often forget that we have it/ that it is there

Question 16

What does make us happy?

Answer 16

Money ($75,000 a year to be exact)
Relationships
Freedom (societal level)
Emotional expression (especially writing, but only for negative experiences)
Practice (at being positive)
-> Lyubomirsky, 2006 (count your blessings, literally)