exam 3: emotion Flashcards
why emotion is difficult to define (5)
- there are many different emotions in the human repertoire of emotions
- some emotions are basic and universal, whereas others are culture-bound (more likely to be experienced and/or expressed in some cultural groups and not in others)
- when we think about the experience of emotion, they vary in their intensity
- different emotions also differ in their valence (some pleasant, some unpleasant)
- some emotions motivate us to take action, while others do not
agreed-upon characteristics of emotion (3)
- internal physiological arousal
- expressive behavior in the face and body
- cognitive appraisal (emotions are not just feelings; we can reflect on how we want to express and/or behave in relation to the emotion)
“common sense” view of emotions vs James-Lange theory of emotions vs Cannon-Bard theory of emotions
- “common sense” view: emotional experience precedes behavioral expression
- James-Lange theory: emotional experience follows from behavioral expression (i.e. feeling happy because we smile)
- Cannon-Bard theory: physiological/behavioral responses are experienced independently of emotional responses
why Cannon-Bard challenged James-Lange (3)
- bodily sensations alone cannot produce emotion
- at times, emotions are experienced instantly, before the body has had time to react
- the physiological changes that do occur with emotions are oftentimes too general to distinguish one emotion from another (i.e. fear, anger, and love all make the heart beat faster)
brain centers of emotion (2)
limbic system, cerebral cortex
limbic system in emotion (4)
- an evolutionarily primitive set of neural structures
- types of emotions that are controlled tend to be quick and automatic with no cognitive mediation
- amygdala: aggression center
- hypothalamus: basic emotions and drives
cerebral cortex in emotion (3)
- issue is that there is no one part of the cortex that regulates all emotions, rather, different emotions have distinct patterns of cortical activity
- pleasant emotions are regulated by the left cerebral hemisphere
- unpleasant emotions are regulated by the right cerebral hemisphere
expressive vs behavioral component of emotions
- expressive component: serves as a means of nonverbal communication
- behavioral component: provides us with sensory feedback
types of nonverbal communication (2)
facial expression, body language
facial expression (Charles Darwin, Paul Ekman et. al, Carroll Izard et. al)
- Charles Darwin (1872): first person to theorize about the importance of facial expression; proposed that the face communicates emotions in ways that are innate and universally understood
- Paul Ekman et al.: confirmed Darwin’s idea; showed that all over the world, people can reliably identify six emotions in the facial expressions of others
- Carroll Izard et al.: confirmed that these emotions are innate (inborn) (evidence: adults can reliably identify emotions on the faces of infants, who make faces associated with these basic emotions)
basic emotions (6) (and founder)
- founder: Paul Ekman
- basic emotions: happiness, surprise, fear, anger, sadness, disgust
types of nonverbal communication (2)
facial expression, body language
survival value of recognition
people recognize aggression more quickly than other emotions
body language
a form of nonverbal communication that enables quick judgements of others’ feelings; refers to the way that people stand, sit, walk, and gesture
facial-feedback hypothesis
states that changes in facial expression produce corresponding changes in emotion (James-Lange theory)
Fritz Strack et al. (1988) (study and findings)
- study: participants watched cartoons with one group holding a pen with their teeth (smile) and the other holding a pen with their lips (frown); those who held the pen with their teeth found the cartoon to be funnier (change in facial expression produced a change in cognitive experience)
- findings: facial expressions can evoke and magnify certain emotions (supported facial-feedback hypothesis)
two-factor theory of emotion (founder and definition)
- founder: Schachter
- definition: two factors are necessary to have a specific emotion; (1) to have an emotion, there must be some generalized physiological arousal (i.e. racing heart, sweaty palms, tightening of the stomach, rapid breathing); (2) people must find a cognitive label (attribution) to explain the source of their arousal
Schachter and Singer (1962) (study and findings)
- study: male participants were told that they would receive a vitamin supplement (epinephrine increases arousal); one group was the drug-informed group, one was the drug-uninformed group, and one was the placebo control group; after their injection, they met with a confederate who was trained to respond in either a euphoric or angry way; the placebo control group experienced no physiological arousal, the informed group experienced arousal and attributed their generalized arousal to the drug confederate had no effect); the uninformed group felt arousal and reported feeling either happy or angry depending on how the confederate behaved that they encountered
- findings: found evidence that supports the two-factor theory of emotion
misattribution
arousal produced by one source (stimulus) can be misattributed or transferred to another source (Schachter)
Dutton and Aron (1974) (study and findings)
- study: male participants crossed a river using either a narrow and wobbly bridge that was suspended 230 feet above the rocky rapids or a wide and sturdy bridge that was suspended only 10 feet above a calm part of the river; the male participants were approached by a female research assistant while crossing the bridge; she said to call her if they want more information about the study; the participants who crossed the river using the narrow, wobbly bridge were significantly more likely to call the research assistant, presumably to find out more about the study (more physically aroused); they misattributed their arousal to the research assistant and classified them as amorous feelings
- findings: found evidence that supports the misattribution theory
levels of happiness (percentage in the US)
75% of Americans describe themselves as happy
roots of happiness (3)
social relationships, employment status, health (unrelated to age, gender, race, ethnicity, IQ/intelligence, level of education, and levels of attractiveness)
money vs happiness (correlation)
longitudinal research suggests no correlation between money and happiness over time
why money can’t buy happiness (2)
social-comparison theory, biological set-point for happiness
social-comparison theory
perceptions of wealth are relative (not absolute); people compare themselves to others and either feel contended or deprived
biological set-point for happiness
each individual has a predetermined biological level of happiness (more strongly correlated among identical twins than among fraternal twins); fluctuations in mood following negative or positive events tend to wear off over time; levels of happiness are relatively stable over time
