Lecture 15- Emotions Flashcards
Name the 3 mains reasons why reading emotions is more of an art than science:
- Emotions facial expressions are not super specific
-Inferring emotions from facial expressions is not very reliable.
-The deducing of emotions from facial expressions is not well studied
Compare the ability vs motivation of emotions:
-For most people, identifying emotions of others is automatic, natural, easy
-For some, it does not. The inability to recognize emotions can be mistaken as a lack of interest
Explain the abstracts and feelings of emotions:
Exist in the abstracts: cognitively think about emotions and make your face artificially express specific emotions (processed in the neocortex)
-Exist as a feeling: raw, reflective response to certain stimuli. (processed in the limbic system, prominently in amygdala).
-Genuine expressions tend to be automatic and involuntary.
What is volitional facial paresis: What part of the brain is damaged?
condition where people are unable to voluntarily control their facial muscles, but they can express genuine emotion even using the same muscles.
-caused by damage to the face region of primary motor cortex or subcortical connections.
Explain the reverse: Emotional facial paresis:
What part of the brain is damaged?
lack of movement of facial muscles in response to emotions in people who have no difficulty moving these muscles voluntarily.
-caused by damage around insular cortex or parts of the thalamus
Explain
1. behavioural responses
2. Automatic responses
3. Hormonal responses
Behavioral responses: muscular movements (facial expressions, body language…)
-Autonomic responses: signaling through the peripheral nervous system, provide quick mobilization of energy for vigorous movement.
-Hormonal responses: (signaling through blood), reinforce the autonomic response.
Explain the 3 points to James Lang Theory of emotion:
- Perception of emotions eliciting event (see a bear)
- Appropriate sets of behavioural and physiological responses are triggered (clench fists, run away..)
- The brain receives feedback from these changes in the peripheral nervous system which, in turn, produces the subjective feelings of emotions.
The hippocampus and Amygdala are in the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex, what are their individual uses?
-Hippocampus: is critical for explicit memory info
-Amygdala: is critical for feeling and recognizing emotions.
What does the central nucleus of the amygdala do? How do lesions or stimulation affect it?
Regulates emotional responses, particularly fear
-Lesions: reduce/eliminate innate and learned fear responses
-Stimulation: causes fear, anxiety, agitation
What might a patient with damage to their primary visual cortex exhibit:
May have no conscious awareness of looking at a person’s face, yet they still show amygdala activity in response to viewing faces and often mimic presented facial reactions.
Explain what happened to Patient S.P, person who received a bilateral amygdalectomy to treat a seizure disorder:
-No longer experiences fear
-She could not identify expressions of fear in photos of faces.
-She could generate artificial expressions of emotion without problem, but could not identify the emotion of fear even in photos of herself. She also had diminished ability to recognize disgust, sadness and happiness. (surprise and anger were not affected)
Explain what happened with patient S.M, person who had bilateral amygdala damage
-When shows photographs of faces, she doesn’t look at the eyes.
-S.M can recognise the emotion if she is trained to look at the eyes but she doesn’t do it spontaneously, she has to be reminded.
How can brain damage lead to changes in emotional responses?
-cannot identify emotional facial expressions in other people
What are mirror neurons and how are they activated?
Have been found in many brain areas: somatosensory cortex, insular cortex, premotor cortex..
-Thought they are involved in mimicry and empathy.
-Are activated similarly when an animal performs a particular behavior or when it sees another animal performing that behavior. (mirror others)
Where is word comprehension located
-generally located in the left cerebral hemisphere for most people.
However, inferring emotions from the sound (tone) of someone’s voice primarily involves the right cerebral hemisphere.
