Part 1 Flashcards
James-Lange theory
Event -> Physiological Response -> Subjective Experience (feeling)
Emotional feelings are based directly on the way the body reacts to certain situations
Every emotion is unique because they are all slightly different combinations of physiological responses
Cannon-Bard theory
Emotional cognitions and feelings are causally independent of physiological arousal and behaviour although these aspects all occur at the same time
Schachter-Singer Theory
Two-factor theory
Physiological arousal determines intensity but not specific emotional state
We use context to understand what is going on and which emotional state we are experiencing
What are the four criteria that should comprise an emotion if it is basic?
- Universal (apparent across cultures and to some extent among other species)
- Functional to a specific prototypical life event
- Distinct, innate way of expressing it
- Evident in early life
- Physiologically distinct
Which theory is the basic/discrete emotion model most closely aligned with?
James-Lange theory
Describe the circumplex model
Emotional feelings form a circle defined by the dimensions of pleasantness and arousal
Places emphasis on the feeling aspect of emotion
Using the circumplex model, excitement can be described as…
a combination of pleasure and high arousal
Using the circumplex model, contentment can be described as…
a combination of pleasure and low arousal
Core affect
The feeling aspect of emotion in terms of pleasantness and arousal
Describe the evaluative space model
Positive and negative feelings are independent dimensions and can still coexist
What are three points of agreement among the dimensional models (i.e., the circumplex model and evaluative space model)?
- They emphasize the feeling aspect of emotion
- They agree that emotional feelings are best described in terms of continuous dimensions rather than discrete categories
- They emphasize that feelings are mainly defined in terms of valence (positive and negative) and degree of arousal
The component process model
Same set of appraisal dimensions (i.e., novelty, pleasantness, certainty, etc.) used to evaluate the significance of every event we experience
Emotion as a latent process
We see emotions through physiological responses, behavioural responses, cognitive responses, and feeling states
Emotions exist and are reflected out to the world
Emotion as an emergent process
Emotions are the product of physiology, behaviour, cognition, and feelings
If some characteristic is proposed as an adaptation that does not mean that it is functional now. The characteristic would have been functional in its…
environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA)
Environment of evolutionary adaptedness (EEA)
The time and place when a certain characteristic spread as a result of natural selection
How might emotional responses be considered by-products of natural selection?
Emotional responses are more likely to be byproducts of responses that promoted survival and reproduction.
Ex; an emotional response such as cuteness towards baby animals is most likely a by product of responses that prompt caring for our offspring
Intrapersonal functions of emotions
Directly benefits individual
ex; fear facilitates individual to escape
Many negative emotions can be explained by intrapersonal function
Emotions serve important social functions. Love an embarrassment have something in common…
they both help to establish and stabilize relationships with other people
The affect infusion model states that…
emotional feelings influence our judgements and decisions
i.e., people in good moods are often on autopilot whereas people in bad moods are more critical
According to Jeffery Gray, the brain includes two systems that is the functional core of emotional responding
Behavioural activation system
- Promotes approaching opportunities
Behavioural inhibition system
- Promotes threat detection and avoidance
Tooby and Cosmides define emotions as…
superordinate neural programs
What does it mean to think of emotions as having a phylogeny/ evolutionary tree of their own?
Thinking that newer emotions evolved from more archaic ones in response to new selection pressures
According to Tooby and Cosmides, emotion is a ____________ program that coordinates many ___________. How does this work exactly?
superordinate; subprograms (i.e., facial affect)
Basically, emotion acts as an organizing program that coordinates one’s behaviour and actions to solve problems
What are Darwin’s two functions of emotion expression?
- Adaptation
- emotion as a cue
- physiological regulation - Exaptation
- social communication
- convey information to others
Two branches of the autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic and parasympathetic
Sympathetic nervous system
Fight or flight
Increases heart rate, breathing rate, sweating, and blood flow to muscles
Dilates pupils
Parasympathetic nervous system
Rest and digest
Increases salvation, digestion
Decreases heart rate, breathing
What is the benefit of the combined input of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems? What is an analogy for this?
More precise control
The gas pedal and brake analogy
The endocrine system
Glands and hormones combined
What two hormones play central roles in our responses to stress?
Epinephrine (aka adrenaline) and cortisol
What are some ways to measure physiological aspects of emotion?
Heart rate
- avg interbeat interval
Pupil diameter
- eye-tracking
Electrodermal activity
- changes in how well skin conducts electricity
- detects increased sweat gland activity
Pure autonomic failure
Medical condition in which the autonomic system ceases to influence the body
These people report the same type of emotions but feel them less intensely
Undoing effect of positive emotion
Positive emotions can help people recover after an intense negative emotion, physiologically as well as emotionally
General Adaption Syndrome
The body’s reaction to any threat
Now known as “stress”
What are the three states that the body progresses through in response to threat according to the general adaptation syndrome?
- ALARM
- Activated sympathetic system - RESISTANCE
- Moderate arousal maintained - EXHAUSTION
- Prolonged + severe threat
- Weakness, fatigue
Why does severe or long-term stress weaken the immune system?
Prolonged cortisol elevation leaves less energy available for the synthesis of proteins that the immune system needs
Why does severe or long-term stress impair functioning in the prefrontal cortex and strengthen activity in the amygdala and striatum (learned habits)?
Cortisol causes shrinkages of dendrites and loss of synapses in the prefrontal cortex
Cortisol expands dendrites and increases synapses in the amygdala and striatum
Psychological stress is also known as…
perceived stress
Psychological stress comes from three components:
- Lack of control
- Lack of predictability
- Lack of outlets for frustration
Homeostasis implies what?
Systems have one optimal set point of functioning
We refrain from talking about homeostasis and instead talk about systems in terms of ________
allostasis
Allostasis
No fixed point
Maintenance of stability through change
Allostaic load
Meant for short-term adaptations because it is costly in the long-run
Basically, how much pressure is on the systems to get you out of a jam
According to Hans Selye stress is a ________ response because…
undifferentiated response
because it does not have any specificity to the occasion
What does HPA axis stand for?
Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Adrenals
The HPA axis is…
all throughout the body
involved in a lot of the stress response that we generate
a feedback loop
Chronic use of the axis makes things become distorted. What causes chronic use of the axis? Why do things become distorted?
Chronic stress causes chronic use of the axis
Chronic stress means increased cortisol release
Describe the relationship between the parasympathetic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system, and the HPA axis
The parasympathetic system is the first to react
The withdrawal of the parasympathetic nervous system allows for the sympathetic nervous system to become activated
If parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system changes persist and they cannot deal with the even on its own, then HPA kicks in
The central nervous system is defined as…
the brain and spinal cord
Limitations when conducting research on damaged human brains
Damage generally overlaps in several brain areas
Brain damage doesn’t always occur for people at random - an aspect of the person with damage may have caused this damage thus this individual’s brain is not really generalizable
Damage almost never hits exactly the area researchers want to study
What methods are used to study emotion in the brain?
Brain damage
Electroencephalography (EEG)
fMRI
Neurochemistry techniques (optogenetics)
The reverse inference problem
Just because A has been shown to cause B does not mean that if B is present so is A
People whose brain damage includes the amygdala can classify photos as pleasant or unpleasant but show little to no arousal when they view unpleasant photos. What does this suggest?
These people show the cognitive aspect of emotion but not the feeling aspect
Some people show stronger amygdala responses than others and the differences correlate with ________ in daily life
anxiety
Amygdala activation is modulated by other brain regions that may be involved in appraisal such as…
the prefrontal cortex and the cingulate cortex
What is the relationship between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala?
People with weaker prefrontal cortex regions (i.e., those with depression) tend toward more anxiety inducing interpretations and they show less inhibition of amygdala activity
What is the relationship between the cingulate cortex and the amygdala?
People with stronger connections between amygdala and cingulate cortex tend to pay more attention than average to threatening stimuli
What is the relationship between amygdala and memory?
We remember things better if they hold emotional significance
The amygdala has been suggested to mediate attention to emotional stimuli and enhancement of emotional memories
The limbic system
Contains structures such as the amygdala, hypothalamus, cingulate cortex, etc.
The limbic system “freed” species from the tyranny of the hypothalamus which promotes…
plasticity
Hypothalamus is considered the…
internal regulator
Why is the amygdala not very plastic?
Because it develops early
The frontal cortex is the most recent thing that has developed so…
it is very plastic
What are the three phases of synaptic growth?
Proliferation
- Make a lot of synapses, TONS
Differentiation
- Don’t want all connections to do the same thing, lets make some responsible for this and some responsible for that
Pruning
- Pruning back what is not needed
-
What are the three phases of synaptic growth?
Proliferation
- Make a lot of synapses, TONS
Differentiation
- Don’t want all connections to do the same thing, lets make some responsible for this and some responsible for that
Pruning
- Pruning back what is not needed
- What fires together wires together
________ develops first then _______ shape’s ________
Structure; function; structure
Appraisal
a cognitive evaluation of what a stimulus or situation means for the self
Primary versus secondary appraisal
Primary appraisal
- Determine one’s emotional response
- How does the situation matter for one’s goals and well-being
Secondary appraisal
- Evaluating their ability to cope with situation and regulate emotions
Aside from liking, ______ is another response that does not require appraisal according to researchers
anger
What is Lazarus’ core relational theme for anger?
A demeaning offense against me and mine
Cognitive neoassociationistic model
Any unpleasant event or sensation facilitates anger and aggressive behaviour
This proposal contradicts the idea that anger requires attribution (appraisal)
Ex; being too hot, feeling crowded, having a headache, etc., provokes anger without appraisal required
Facial feedback hypothesis
Facial expressions and other nonverbal behaviours may not be necessary for feelings of emotions but they could still help create such feelings
Think… the study in which participants held a pen with their teeth (forcing them to smile) and they found the comics more amusing than those who held the pencil with their lips (forcing them not to smile)
Emotion was once referred to as….
motivations
What are Ekman’s 6 basic emotions? What is the added 7th?
Anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, surprise
7th - interest
James Russel took a continuous dimensional approach to emotions…
can situate any emotional state with regard to their degree of valence (positive and negative) and degree of arousal (activated and deactivated)
Draw this
Lang took the same idea as Russel - took a continuous dimensional approach to emotions…
axis is rotated and emotion fall along vectors.
Some things are appetitive (going towards something)
Some things are based on defence (withdrawing)
As you start increasing pleasantness or unpleasantness you are bound to increase arousal
Draw this
What is Lisa Feldman Barrett’s view on emotion?
“Basic emotions” is a flawed idea
Offers a constructivist view
Emotions are concepts that we socially construct
Your brain’s prediction about the state of your metabolic energy
- when this prediction is challenged we experience emotion and body must respond and react
The basic emotion theory has a ________ view
latent (essentialist)
Theory of constructive emotion has an _______ view
emergent (constructivist)
