H16 The social & emotional brain

Question 1

emotion

Answer 1

a state associated with stimuli that are rewarding or punishing & often have an inherent survival value

Question 2

mentalizing

Answer 2

process of inferring/attributing mental states to others

Question 3

mirroring

Answer 3

process of sharing the emotions or mental states of others

Question 4

mood

Answer 4

an emotional state that is extended over time

Question 5

expression

Answer 5

external motor outcomes in the face &body associated with emotional states

Question 6

James-Lange theory

Answer 6

self-perception of bodily changes produces emotional experience (vb one is sad because one cries)

Question 7

Cannon-Bard theory

Answer 7

theory centered on the hypothalamus’ role in emotions in which bodily responses occur after the emotion itself

Question 8

Papez circuit

Answer 8

limbic-based circuit that was once thought to constitute a largely undifferentiated “emotional” brain

Question 9

basic emotions approach

Answer 9

different categories assumed to be independent of culture & with their own biological basis

Question 10

Darwin’s theory of emotion

Answer 10

-assumption that human emotions possess continuity with their animal counterparts
-documented outward manifestations of emotions (expressions)

Question 11

Freud’s theory of emotion

Answer 11

-assumptions that human emotions possess continuity with their animal counterparts
- minds could be diveded in id, ego & super-ego
- emotions are an unconscious bias on our behaviour
- mental health problems could be understood as emotional disturbances

Question 12

theory of Barret

Answer 12

-assumes all emotions tap into system termed core affect, organized along 2 dimensions: pleasant-unpleasant & high-low arousal
-categories of emotion are constructed
-facial expressions culturally constructed from experience

Question 13

moral emotions

Answer 13

emotions related to behaviour of oneself (in relation to others) or others (in relation to oneself or others)

Question 14

theory of Rolls

Answer 14

-constructionist approach without relying on set of basic emotions
-reward & punishment instead of core affect
-eliciting stimulus is considered part of the emotional state

Question 15

amygdala

Answer 15

part of limbic system, implicated in learning emotional value of stimuli

Question 16

Kluver-Bucy syndrome

Answer 16

unusual tameness & emotional blunting; tendency to examine objects with the mouth; dietary changes after bilateral amygdala &temporal lesions in monkeys

Question 17

skin conductance response (SCR)

Answer 17

changes in electrical conductivity on a person’s skin, triggered by certain stimuli

Question 18

insula

Answer 18

involved in body perception & contains primary gustatory cortex; responds to disgust

Question 19

interoception

Answer 19

sensory system for monitoring internal state of the body

Question 20

extinction learning

Answer 20

learning that a previously rewarded stimulus is no longer rewarded

Question 21

parts of the brain involved in emotions

Answer 21

-amygdala
-insula
-orbitofrontal cortex
-anterior cingulate
- ventral striatum

Question 22

ventral striatum

Answer 22

part of basal ganglia that includes nucleus accumbens: involved in a limbic circuit connecting orbitofrontal cortex , basal ganglia & thalamus

Question 23

conspecific

Answer 23

other members of the = species

Question 24

simulation theory

Answer 24

theory that we understand others by producing their current state in ourselves

Question 25

social referencing

Answer 25

emotional response of another person may lead to avoidance or interaction with a previously neutral stimulus

Question 26

Capgras syndrome

Answer 26

people report that their acquaintances have been replaced by ‘body doubles’

Question 27

theory of mind

Answer 27

ability to represent the mental states of others

Question 28

empathy

Answer 28

ability to appreciate others’ point of view & share their experiences

Question 29

mirror systems

Answer 29

neural circuits/ regions that disregards the distinction between self & others

Question 30

autism

Answer 30

presence of markedly abnormal/imaired development in social interaction & communication & a markedly restricted repertoire of activities & interests

Question 31

Asperger syndrome

Answer 31

variant of autism linked to high intelligence

Question 32

test of false belief

Answer 32

belief that differs from one’s own belief & from the true state of the world

Question 33

broken-mirror theory

Answer 33

account of autism in which the social difficulties are considered as a consequence of mirror-system dysfunctions

Question 34

Mu oscillations

Answer 34

EEG oscillations at 8-13Hz over the sensorimotor cortex, greatest when participants are at rest

Question 35

key regions involved in mentalizing

Answer 35

=neural basis theory of mind
- temporal poles
- medial prefrontal cortex
- temporoparietal junction (TPJ)