Lecture 6 Flashcards
Galvanic skin response
Sweat on skin makes a temporary better conductor of electricity.
Sweat glands are triggered by emotional rousal and have predominantly involves the sympathetic system
- apply small electric current applied to pair of electrodes
this moisture creates difference in balance of positive and negative ions and electrical current flows more easily, which we can then measure with skin conductance
Social approach
The social approach refers to a perspective in psychology that emphasizes the influence of social and cultural factors on human behavior, thoughts, and emotions. This approach emphasizes the importance of studying the social context in which individuals live, including their relationships with others, cultural norms and values, and social institutions.
Researchers using the social approach may investigate a wide range of topics, such as the impact of social norms on behavior, the role of culture in shaping attitudes and beliefs, and the influence of social factors on mental health and well-being.
Overall, the social approach recognizes the significant impact of social and cultural factors on individual behavior and mental processes, and emphasizes the need to understand and study these factors in order to fully understand human psychology.
Claire Armon Jones: purpose of emotions
says that purpose of emotions is to reinforce society;s norms and values, for example emotion rules that american often follow
Averill identified the follopwing rules for anger
anger should be to correct the situation, restore equity, and or prevent recurence, not inflict injury or pain on the target to achieve selfish ends through intimidation
James Averill’s criticism on huidige theorieen van emotions
- social function of emotions is underestimated in other theories
- universality is overestimated (cultural differences)
- emotions are not biologically driven
Averill’s social construct theory. Give the three components
- Emotions are social constructions that give shape and meaning to our social world
- emotions are learned behaviors that can be acquired if people are exposed to them within a partical culture
- Emotions have an important social role, they exist to inform and oinfluence each other
empathy
capacity to perceive, share and understand each others affective states
(sympathy, emotional contagion, prsonal diostrress and cognitive perspective taking)
affective empathy
taking over other people emotions (automati)
cognitive empathy
appraisal of the other’s situation and attempts to understand the cause of others emotions (not so automatic)
how do you know a smile is fake?
real emotions occur automatically (control eye regions). so you gotta look at the eye. Great tip!
orbicularis oculi
muscles around the eye so that you could know a smile is fake or not
Emptahy has two faces
- the person showing empathy9accepted, understood, acknowledged)
- the person receiving empathy
Purpose of empathy..?
Adaptive role: mother-child bonding, parental care of offspring
epistemological role: to make faster and more accurate predictions of other people’s needs and actions and discover salient aspects of our environment
social role: reciprocal altruism, social communication, cooperation and moral reasoning
How did they test empathy in monkeys?
Monkeys got food when thy pulled a chain, but food was accompanied with shock for other monkey, so monkeys were less likely to pull the chain
imitative mirroring or mimicry
action replication - similarity between the observed and the reanactive moment.
It is a widespread phenomenon in the behavior of many animal species stands as primitive form of imitation
even infants of 42 min olds are able to replicate some gestures when seeing adults performing them
how old should children be to re-enact intended actions
18 months
at what age do children know when they are being imitated by others?
14 months
What do findings about imitation and mimicry suggest?
that imitation may be innate, and that imitation may provide the mechanism by which thery of mind and empathy develops in humans (ie imitation creates self other linkage)
action units (face)
upper lip raiser for example, lip suck, outer brow raiser
Kret (2015) about emotional processing
Kret’s (2015) model of emotion processing during social interaction can be explained using two people, person A and person B, and how they perceive, appraise, and respond to each other’s emotional cues.
Perception: Person A and person B initially perceive emotional cues from each other, such as facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language. This involves bottom-up processing, where sensory input from the environment is processed by the brain.
Appraisal: Person A and person B then appraise the emotional cues in relation to the social context, taking into account their past experiences, beliefs, and goals. This involves top-down processing, where prior knowledge and expectations influence the interpretation of the emotional cues.
Generation of an emotional response: Based on their appraisal, person A and person B generate an appropriate emotional response, which may include feelings of happiness, sadness, anger, fear, or disgust, among others. This emotional response is associated with physiological arousal, such as changes in heart rate and skin conductance.
Expression: Finally, person A and person B may express their emotional response through their own facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language, which can then be perceived and appraised by the other person, creating a continuous feedback loop.
Overall, Kret’s model highlights the dynamic and interactive nature of emotion processing during social interaction, where emotions are not just individual experiences, but also shaped by the social context and the emotions of others.
Facial reddening
- Research show that facial redness is sexually dimorphic (men are slightly redder than women) and is strongly androgen-dependent in men
- moreover, increased skin blood perfusion is related to health and is enhanced by physical traning and reduced in different patient groups
What was the conclusion out of a study with facial reddening?
- women in this study made the skin tone redder and even added more red when asked to make the men look more dominant
- however, it was also observed that the woman associated red faces with agression
What is known about socially anxious people and blushing?
They regard it as the cause of their social difficulties, rather than as a symptom of them
prisoners dilemma, after the defection, a picture of the opponent was shown, displaying a blushing (reddened) or a non-blushing face. what happened in the subsequent trust game?
participants invested more money in the blushing opponent. in addition, participants indicated that they trusted the blushing opponent more, that they expected a lower probability of future defeat, and judge the blushing opponent in general more positively
