Jan 14 Flashcards
what did Joe LeDoux and his team do?
published many influential studies on FEAR LEARNING and FEAR CIRCUITS in rodents
more recently he stopped using the word “fear” or “emotion” to describe his findings with non-human animals
^ because of the sloppiness in how emotion terms are used - confusion between referring to BEHAVIOURS versus INTERNAL STATES
he now talks about SURVIVAL BEHAVIOURS and SURVIVAL CIRCUITS
we can start to answer the question of “what is emotion?” by answering other questions
- what do emotions DO?
- what CAUSES emotions?
- what is CAUSED BY emotions?
^ ie. a definition of emotion in terms of its functions
emotions are functional states - what does this mean?
emotions are STATES OF THE BRAIN
while emotions are in fact states of the brain, if we define emotions literally by their brain state then…
we need different definitions for humans, flies, octopus etc because they have completely DIFF NERVOUS SYSTEMS
a more abstract definition can be more useful and broadly applicable
a different way of saying that emotions are states of the brain
emotions can be IMPLEMENTED in the brain
we need a functional account of emotions that defines emotions in terms of…
the STIMULI that CAUSE the brain state
and the BEHAVIOURS that are CAUSED BY the brain state
how do functional definitions identify states?
by their causal relations (ie. what does it do?)
NOT by how they’re constituted (ie. what’s it made of?)
functional definitions describes causal effects how?
in an ABSTRACT MANNER
that is independent of the physical way that the state is implemented
are functional definitions generalizable to other species?
yes
clock example: functional definition
pic of a bunch of diff types of clocks, all of which look very different and are made of diff parts
but by defining a clock by its FUNCTION (MEASURING TIME) we have a definition that’s BROADLY APPLICABLE to a category
how can we functionally define mental states?
in terms of their CAUSAL RELATIONS to INPUTS and OUTPUTS
functionally defining emotions in terms of their inputs and outputs
emotions are FUNCTIONAL STATES that are caused by SENSORY INPUTS and cause BEHAVIOURAL OUTPUTS
emotions can also be caused by and cause changes in other mental states (ie. memory, perception, attention etc)
overview of the architecture for emotions as functional states
starts with STIMULI (input)
^ moderated by CONTEXT
leads to CENTRAL EMOTIONAL STATE
^ moderated by VOLITIONAL CONTROL
leads to outputs: OBSERVED BEHAVIOUR
SUBJECTIVE REPORTS
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY
COGNITIVE CHANGES
SOMATIC RESPONSES
emotions as functional states: what are stimuli affected by?
context
emotions as functional states: what are central emotional states affected by?
volitional control
emotions as functional states: 5 outputs caused by central emotional state
- observed behaviour
- subjective reports
- psychophysiology
- cognitive changes
- somatic responses
describe the fan-in fan-out architecture
many stimuli (inputs) can lead to the same central emotional state
the same central emotional state can leads to many outcomes
^ process is called GENERALIZATION
volitional control can _______ emotion
inhibit
why is thinking about emotions in a functional architecture helpful for neurosceince?
because we can think about manipulating stimuli that lead to central emotional states and then observe the diff outcomes
spider example: researching emotions as functional states
stimulus = spider
goal = to study fear
measure the types of effect brought on by the stimulus
ie. stepping back (observed behaviour)
ie. cognitive changes (amygdala activation)
ie. somatic responses (skin conductance, HR)
then compare these responses to a stimulus like a butterfly
spider example: context
context: where you encounter the spider (stimuli) might matter
ie. is it on a pin behind glass, or under your pillow in the morning?
spider example: volitional control
you can use volitional control to overcome a central fear state
ie. get a jar and trap spider and take it outside
^ maybe you haven’t changed the fear state, but you’ve changed the outcome through volitional control
^ or maybe you’ll run away instead
spider example: cognition
if you did find a spider under your pillow, you’re more likely to remember the details of this morning as opposed to other mornings
emotion state interacts with memory processes
additionally, awareness that say the spider is a Huntsman (harmless and shy) may differentially affect your emotion state than if you knew it was a Black Widow
evolutionary account of the function of emotions
explanation in evolutionary terms that explains why an emotion is adaptive
and what purpose it served in the evolutionary environment
anything that evolved via natural selection is selected based on its functional effect for an organism in its given environment
