Personality Flashcards
Motivational States
Psychological and physiological states that initiate and direct the organism towards or away from specific goals
Categories of Motivational States
- Biological Motivational States
- Acquired/Personal Motivational States
Biological Motivational States
Category of motivational state; automatic, minimal conscious control over; helps us survive & reproduce
Acquired/Personal Motivational States
Category of motivational state; Learned, culturally-defined, controlled, and do not directly contribute to our immediate survival
Approach Behaviours
The state stops once you acquire a goal
Avoidance Behaviours
The state stops once you avoid a goal
Bodily Sensations
Motivational states that are often triggered by internal (bodily) events and having:
a) physiological arousal
b) a dedicated and unambiguous neural signal that guides the organism towards specific action
Functions of Bodily Sensation (3)
- Drive us towards or away from specific goals.
- Generated internally by our bodies for purpose of biological preservation.
- Physiological arousal leads to unambiguous sensation.
Physiological Arousal
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Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
Nerves that carry involuntary and automatic commands between the brain and blood vessels, body organs, and glands
Sympathetic Nervous System
The branch that prepares the body for action in challenging or threatening situations; (Go!)
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The branch that returns the body to its normal resting state; (Calm)
Hypothalamus
Brain structure responsible for regulating bodily sensations, especially those related to arousal and hunger
Amygdala
Brain structure that plays a key role in many emotional processes (esp reward & fear)
Emotions
Motivational states that are often triggered by external (world) events; Marked by:
a) physiological arousal
b) cognitive interpretation and
c) observable facial and bodily expression
Functions of Emotions (4)
- Drive us towards or away from specific goals.
- Sometimes internally generated, but mostly externally generated (e.g., by bears, bridges, etc.)
- Physiological arousal that is cognitively interpreted!
- Coupled with very clearly observable facial and body expressions.
Cognitive Interpretation
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James-Lange Theory
A cognitive interpretation theory that believes a stimulus causes unique physiological reactions which produces a dedication emotional experience in the brain. There is no confusion about what emotion you are experiencing;
Distinct channels for distinct emotions
Cannon-Bard Theory
A cognitive interpretation theory that believes a stimulus triggers both physiological reaction and a separate brain-based emotional response. Arousal and emotion occur at the same time, and there is no confusion about what emotion you are feeling;
There are paired responses –> particular stimulus w/ particular emotion
Amphetamine Experiment
An experiment where participants participants are given amphetamines (increasing arousal) and either told that they were given a drug, or were told it was just water
Amphetamine Experiment Findings
Contrary to both theories: all participants experienced emotions, but it differed by group: the drug group experienced arousal as a pleasant sensation, the water group felt agitated and unpleasant.
(In Theory)
James-Lange: both groups experience arousal and therefore same emotion.
Cannon-Bard: the water group should feel no emotion, since they have no association between drinking water and emotions.
Capilano Suspension Bridge Study
An experiment where participants cross the Capilano suspension bridge or a normal bridge, and then interact with an opposite-sex research assistant; they are later asked how attracted they were to them.
Capilano Suspension Bridge Study Findings
Contrary to both theories: Capilano bridge group reported significantly higher attraction towards the research assistant than those crossing a normal bridge, misinterpreting their arousal from the bridge as attraction towards assistant
(In Theory)
James-Lange: no increased attraction, since arousal is unambiguously from bridge.
Cannon-Bard: no increased attraction, since arousal is unambiguously from bridge.
Two-Factory Theory
A cognitive interpretation theory that believes that emotions are best guesses from physiological reactions; we experience arousal, and then try to find out why, leading to an emotional states; emotions are interpretations
Process of Emotion Interpretation
When we first observe a stimulus, a fast pathway leads directly to the amygdala and makes us act fast and feel an initial jolt of fear or surprise.
A separate slow pathway sends information to cortical regions of the brain, assessing if the threat is real, what the source is, and can revise that emotion into happiness, sadness, etc
Role of Emotions (2)
- Internal Roles
- External Roles
Internal Role (of Emotions)
Emotions help guide us towards particular goals
e.g., when I am feeling sad, I am much more likely to seek out comfort
External Role (of Emotions)
Emotions help us communicate to others what our internal states are
e.g., sad faces notify others that we are sad and make them want to come comfort us
