Key theories of emotion Flashcards
Key milestones 1868 1872 1931 1962 1980 1982 1983 1991
1868 - Harlow describes effects of prefrontal cortex damage to Phineas Gage
1872 - Darwin publishes ‘the expression of emotions in man and animals’
1884/85 - James and Lange independently propose bodily theory of emotion
1931 - Cannon-Bard theory of emotion
1962 - Schacter & Singer show how cognitive factors influence emotion
1980 - Zajonc argues emotion in absence of cognition
1982 - Lazarus argues that emotions require cognition
1983 - Ekman proposed basic emotions can be distinguished anatomically (developed into FACS - facial action coding system)
1991 - Damasio proposes somatic marker hypothesis
Phineas Gage
= first link between brain and controlling emotion
- iron rod through prefrontal cortex
= caused change in personality - emotions particularly
NOTE: each theory proposes a different view of emotion which can be observed in current research in emotion
(each has a legacy we can trace)
Darwin’s theory
methods
legacy
(HARDWARE)
-treated each emotion as discrete and separate
- proposed facial expressions are the conveyor of specific emotions (communicative) to other members of same species
- facial expressions are universal, whereas, gestures are culture-specific
observed emotions are in many species. Specie have a characteristic pattern of action (unique to species)
- explained how emotion signals developed from movements (antithesis = opposite signals)
- 10 years later = Wundt suggested emotions are dimensional (varying in pleasantness and activation)
–> he came up with dimensions using different tones that evoked different emotions
methods:
- evolutionary perspective
- observation
- used Duchenne Du Bologne’s work (Duchenne smile = authentic smile)
- focused on facial expression –> emphasis on facial muscles later used by Ekman in developing facial action codes (Ekman also looked at how you can tell if someone is lying by microexpressions and muscular configurations)
- Darwin showed photographs of expressions to observors and noted what emotions they attributed to expressions (Can look at emotion recognition problems)
Legacy:
- function of emotions: theory used to describe emotion in terms of functional significance for increasing chance of survival and reproduction
- emotions can be seen as adaptations, which enable:
- rapid orientation to environment
- coordination of systems (cardiovascular/ muscular) eg. fear
- influenced later views of emotions:
eg. states of readiness to act (Frijda, 2010) // Ekman - communication // basis for social relations (form and maintain bonds) (Keither & Haidt, 1999)
James Lange theory
critique (3)
Legacy
Damasio’s (1996) somatic marker hypothesis
(HARDWARE)
Biological approach –> emotions are physiology (response we have when we react)
- William James (1884) proposed: ‘emotions are no more than the experience of the sets of bodily changes that occur in response to emotive cues in the world eg. when we see a bear = fear = run) –> he suggests its these bodily changes and the experience of these changes that = emotion (Lange had similar idea at similar time)
Cannon (1920s) critiqued this:
- he stated autonomic activity is not sophisticated enough and doesn’t differentiate all emotion states
- body response = too slow to generate emotion
- if we separate body from brain we still get emotions experienced
Another critique:
- paralysed people can experience emotion = not just physiological
Another critique:
- artificial activation is insufficient to generate emotion
Legacy
- current theory:
- body response does not fully differentiate between emotional states, but otherwise, criticisms are only partially held up
- theory is still influencial, especially in views of embodied emotion (a lot of emotion connected with bodily states)
- 2 factor theory now more common (brain and body)
- -> body contributes to crude sense of emotion, which is then cognitively appraised and leads to nuanced emotional experience
- Damasio’s somatic marker hypothesis (1996) : when emotional things happen to us, we store that response/ recorded as somatic markers = in future we recall these markers and use them to decide whether we should use this action again or use another response (gut feeling explained by this?)
Cannon-Bard theory
influenced by?
Legacy
(HARDWARE)
neuroanatomical theory of emotion (brain)
Cannon (1927) described initially & Bard (1928)elaborated
- Thalamus and hypothalamus are important in the generation of emotion and producing emotion in response. This response is inhibited by neocortex (emotion regulation/ control)
influenced by:
- lesion studies eg. Henry head - thalamic lesions produced excessive pain reaction
- electrical stimulation studies eg. Hess - able to induce anger (fear/ curiosity/ lethargy in animals) - identified regions for pleasure approach and distress avoidance
- Decortication studies eg. Bard - produced disinhibited responses as a result
Legacy:
- hypothalamus is still known as part of reward network in brain
- cortex modulates output of hypothalamus and limbic system, allowing emotional control
Arnold’s theory
legacy (3 approaches)
(SOFTWARE)
appraisal theory:
- 1954 - Magda Arnold proposed that emotions are based on appraising events ie. evaluating them
- defined emotion as: felt tendency towards an object judged suitable, or away from one judged unsuitable
- emotions seen as relational - relate self to an object, appraisal involves attraction to or repulsion from an object, which dictates whether emotion in positive or negative
Legacy
3 appraisal theories produced!!
1) Automatic appraisal theory (Zajonc, 1980)
- proposed:
== primary appraisal system: automatic, immediate and unconscious and determines whether something is good or bad
== secondary appraisal system: complex, unconscious assessments of what is happening and what to do about it
2) Discrete approach (Lazarus, 1991)
- people appraise how good or bad an event is in the context of their ongoing relations with the environment
== primary appraisal: evaluate the relevance to one’s own goals
== secondary appraisal: evaluate meaning and how to respond (both focus on conscious level)
3) Dimensional appraisal (Ellsworth & Smith, 1985)
- they use dimensions (underlying dimension) such as certainty. responsibility and legitimacy.
- where we score on these underlying dimensions determines our emotion (how we feel)
NOTE: appraisals are what lead to emotions, SO, discrete and dimensional emotions are different to discrete and dimensional appraisals
Schacter & Singer
legacy
(HARDWARE & SOFTWARE)
famous 1962 experiment - ps injected with adrenaline (uniformed) felt and acted happy when with accomplice who was happy, but angry when accomplice acted angry
(ps informed about physiological affect were not as happy/ angry)
- arousal and appraisal –> theory was that emotion arises from physiological appraisal and appraisal from adrenaline–> they use social information to decide what they’re feeling
SO,
arousal + thoughts about situ + social context = attribute feeling to understanding
- not been replicated but they did show cognitive, social and physiological influences on emotion
attribution of cause of emotion:
- Dutton & Aron (1924) - suspension bridge - males misattributed their arousal (fear) to attraction to woman
Transferrable effects of emotion
- emotion experienced in one situation affects behaviour, judgement and emotions in another (that haven’t been prompted by that emotion)
- -> this effect works best if person doesn’t know source of original feeling
Freud’s theory
legacy
psychopathology –> freud saw emotions as being at the core of many pathologies
psychoanalysis –> uses the emotions that a client expresses in discusing his or her life during therapy to reveal unconscious thoughts and emotions that arise from pathology
- focused on trauma and conflict –> eg. emotionally traumatic events in early life initally focused on. Later on, inner conflict focused on
Legacy:
- most therapies focus on emotion
- psychoanalysis uses transference to reveal a persons emotion schema (how they relate to others)
- CBT tries to change emotion through thought
- emotion-focused therpay tries to change emotion by using emotion
- attachement theory: inspired Bowlby;s attachemnt theory = experience and expression of emotion in infants as part of their social dev
Goffman’s theory
legacy
sociological theory
dramaturgical perspective - people give presentations of themselves to each other, and in doing so derive their sense of self
- role-specific emotions constructed within specific roes (Eg. family or friends)
- acting - people engage with a role or can follow a script (happier when they engage)
LEgacy:
emotional labour: Hoschild influenced by Goffman’s theory in her work on emotional labour
- employees, especially in service roles, seen as having to play roles in which they express certain emotions to clients and customers
(Can cause problems if employee doesn’t want to engage with role = inauthentic)
