Lecture 10 - Neurobiology of Emotions Flashcards
What is an emotion
One of the most significant things ever said about emotion may be that everyone knows what it is until they are asked to define it A response of the whole organism
4 level of emotions
Physiological Arousal Anatomical Level Hormonal Level Expressive Behaviours Behavioural Level Conscious Experience Cognitive Level
Evolutionary advantage of emotions
Darwin believed emotions evolved from behaviors: (1) what an animal would do next in a given situation (2) behaviors that are advantageous to the animal “fight or flight” response Automatic response that allows us to survive -> very quick and imperative to survival
Biological meaning of emotions
“fight or flight” response In response to acute stress, the body’s sympathetic nervous system is activated due to the sudden release of hormones 1. Signalling function (we might take action) 2. Promote unique, stereotypical patterns of physiological change and behaviour 3. Provide strong impulse to take action Entire body -> but out of our control Only aware of the effect Cannot control physiological changes Prepares to take action Physiological changes to generate an action Involve many different areas of the body -> in order to make movement, there must be motor response, so it recrutes different areas for response
6 basic emotions
Negative Emotions: moving away from what one doesn’t want Positive Emotions: moving towards what one does want Anger Happiness Surprise Disgust Sadness Fear
James-Lange’s theory
Opposed to the common-sense view Physiology -> Appraisal Stimulus (dog) -> Perception/ Interpretation (danger) -> Specific pattern of automatic arousal (heart races) -> Particular emotion expressed (“My heart is pounding, so I must be afraid”) Stimulus is potential danger -> brain recognises this Only after this -> is emotion expressed (SPSP) Can only express emotion with physiological changes Assumes there is a unique physiological signature to each emotion
Cannon-Bard’s theory
Recognition of emotion and then body’s arousal takes place Appraisal -> Physiology Stimulus (dog) -> Perception/ Interpretation (danger) -> Emotion Experience -> Specific pattern of automatic arousal (heart races) (“I feel afraid, so my heart pounds”) Physiological responses are generated so quickly, it’s unlikely that we could have perceived the emotion first
Schachter-Singer’s theory
Two-factor theory of emotions To experience emotion one must: (1) be physically aroused (2) cognitively label the arousal Stimulus (dog) -> Specific pattern of automatic arousal (heart races) + Cognitive label -> Particular emotion expressed “I am afraid”
Schachter-Singer’s classic study
In a 1962 experiment: A group of 184 male participants was injected with epinephrine (hormone that produces arousal including increased heartbeat, breathing) Epinepherin cause physiological changes (so the changes are due to the hormone not the emotional changes) “a new drug to test their eyesight” Group A = informed the side-effects that the injection might cause Group B = ignored side-effects -> were not told Placed in room with happy or angry confederate Participants with no explanation for arousal experienced happiness or anger trembling, and rapid Participants were then asked how they felt Group A (might cause … as side effects) -> say they did experience some side effects Group B (said nothing) -> happy confederate - said felt happy, angry confederate - said felt angry, didnt know why happy or angry -> just said felt that emotion Experiencing a physiological change causes an assosiation to the emotion
Cognition and emotions
Must cognition precede emotion? Some emotional reactions may occur without conscious thinking Emotions involve bodily responses Bodily responses are very noticeable (butterflies in our stomach when fear arises) but others are more difficult to discern (neurons activated in the brain)
Two dimensions of emotion
Valence and Arousal
Physiology of emotion
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controls our arousal
ANS = part of the nervous system responsible for control of the bodily functions not consciously directed: breathing, heartbeat, and digestive processes
ANS -> strongly effect emotions due to effect on ‘fight or flight’ response
Epinephrine regulates a lot of different organs and bodily procedures -> including emotions
High erosal -> increase epinephrine -> increase in breathing, heartbeat etc.
Similarities and differences between emotions and physiological response
Similarities
Physiological responses related to the emotions of fear, anger, love are very similar
Excitement and fear involve a similar physiological arousal
Differences
Brain responses related to the emotions are slightly different “Different” brain areas activated by different emotions
Difficult to tell emotions apart from physiological response but there is differences in brain activation -> but these are not dramatically different
Polygraph (machine used in attempt to detect lies)
Uses the low level physiological changes (percpiration, cardiovascular changes, breathing changes), to detect lies -> answer neutral and target question and look at changes
Control-question technique
Lie detector
Polygraph -> machine used in attempts to detect lies
Physiological Responses:
Perspiration
Cardiovascular changes
Breathing changes
Control-Question Technique -> ANS responses to answers to innocuous questions (Is your mother’s name Betty?) are compared to those of target questions (Did you steal the money?)
50 Innocents
50 Thieves
2/3 of innocent declared guilty
1/4 of guilty declared innocent
(Kleinmuntz & Szucko, 1984) Manchester Police Department
Facial expression of emotions
Ekman and Friesen analyzed hundreds of films and photos of people experiencing various emotions
They concluded that there are 6 primary facial expressions of emotions and all others are mixtures of these
anger fear disgust surprise happiness sadness
