Exam 3 Material (Emotion Lecture) Flashcards
Emotions can be defined in terms of what three components?
- Appraisal, 2. Action, 3. Feeling
Emotional situations arouses which nervous system?
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
What theory of emotion suggests that actions precede feelings/emotions are the labels given to the action response/emotional feelings result from the body’s action?
The James-Lange theory
The James-Lange theory leads to what predictions?
- People with a weak autonomic or skeletal response should feel less emotion
- Increasing one’s response should enhance an emotion
What are some of the functions of emotions?
- Adaptive behavioral values (fear leads to escape, anger lead to attack, etc.)
- Affect the way we perceive the world (increased attention to emotional stimuli)
- Decision making (allow us to make quick decisions/helps us make moral decisions)
What brain structure assists with making moral/gut decisions?
Prefrontal cortex (especially ventromedial PFC)
What is traditionally thought to be important for emotion?
Limbic system
What brain area is associated with anticipating sexual stimuli, viewing sexual stimuli, and having an orgasm?
Ventral striatum and mPFC
What brain area is specialized to process and strongly attend to facial expressions/fear/sexual arousal/money/good tasting food?
Amygdala
What brain area is activated by facial expressions of disgust and disgusting stimuli (because it is the primary taste cortex/taste is linked to disgust)?
The insula
What brain activity tracks autonomic activity/the experience of emotion?
Insula
What brain areas are active in anticipation of threat?
Insula and amygdala
Which hemisphere of the brain is associated with “approach” motivated behavior?
Left hemisphere
What is marked by low to moderate arousal/can characterize either happiness or anger?
Behavioral Activation System (BAS)
Which hemisphere of the brain is associated with “withdraw” motivated behaviors?
Right hemisphere
What increases attention and arousal/inhibits action (withdraw)/stimulates emotions such as fear and disgust?
Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS)
Which hemisphere of the brain is associated with happier, more out-going, friendlier, and positive personalities?
Greater left hemisphere activity
Which hemisphere of the brain is associated with socially withdrawn, less satisfied, and negative personalities?
Greater right hemisphere
Attack and escape behaviors are closely related to in what ways (corresponding behaviors include anger and fear)?
Physiologically and behaviorally
Attack behaviors are associated with what brain area?
Amygdala (corticomedial area in particular)
Environmental factors associated with increased violent tendencies include:
- Exposure to lead
- Witness or victim of violence in childhood
- Living in a violent neighborhood
Which type of twins are more similar with regard to violent and criminal behavior?
Monozygotic twins
What theory states that violence depends on testosterone, cortisol, and serotonin (Aggression levels are highest when cortisol levels are low are high/serotonin tends to inhibit violent impulses)?
Triple imbalance hypothesis
What alters peoples’ response to stimuli (increased amygdala response to angry expressions/decreases cortical identification and regulation)?
Testosterone
What is a serotonin metabolite found in the CSF, blood, and urine related to serotonin turnover (higher levels of this imply greater serotonin release and turnover)?
5-HIAA
In humans, ____ serotonin turnover has been linked to:
- A history of violent behavior and violent crime
- Attempted suicide by violent means
- Recurrent violent behaviors
Low serotonin
Violence seems to depend on the combination of (aggression levels are highest when cortisol levels are low and testerone levels are high/serotonin tends to inhibit violent impulses):
- Testosterone
- Cortisol
- Serotonin
What is one of the main brain areas for integrating both environmental and genetic influences and regulating current levels of anxiety (responds to something important)?
Amygdala
What regulates long-term, generalized emotional arousal (amygdala output/if a person is attacked or has a fearful experience, he or she becomes fearful in a wide variety of circumstances)?
Bed nucleus of the stria terminals
What is a fast response to unexpected loud noises (auditory information stimulates the pons)?
Startle reflex
Output from the amygdala to the hypothalamus controls what?
Autonomic fear responses
Axons extending from the amygdala to the prefrontal cortex regulates what?
Approach and avoidance responses
fMRI studies suggest the amygdala responds strongly to what?
Emotional stimuli/facial expressions (amygdala responds to nonconscious stimuli)
Amygdala activity is strongest when the meaning is what?
Unclear and ambiguous (requires further processing/fearful faces)
What is a rare genetic condition that causes calcium to build up in the amygdala until it wastes away?
Urbach-Wiethe disease
Damage to what brain area interferes with:
- The learning of (new) fear responses
- Retention of fear responses previously learned
- Interpreting or understanding stimuli with emotional consequences
- Experiencing fear
- Recognizing fear in others (e.g., fearful faces)
- Inability to look at the eye region in fearful expressions
- Inability to draw fearful expressions
Amygdala
The anterior insular cortex is associated with what (insula activity tracks the subjective experience of emotion)?
Introspection
What is a function of the ITC?
Pairs the CS and US pathway together
