PSY331 - 3. Structure and Function of Emotions Flashcards
Structural Account of Emotions A. Basic Emotions
Structure = basic elements of emotional life # of irreducible experiences that count as emotions
Structural Account of Emotions A. Basic Emotions
Darwin: saw basic emotions in animals
most through facial expression research
in the paradigm - taken as truth
Structural Account of Emotions A. Basic Emotions
now field is going toward dimensional models
similar to factor analysis - core elements
species, wavelengths of colour
Basic Emotions‐ Criteria
Universal among humans Physiologically distinct (including specific brain patterns)
Basic Emotions‐ Criteria
Distinct/universal built‐in ways of expressing them: tone of voice, facial expression
Evident early in life: good/bad, fear from distress in 6 months, anger takes longer because it’s complex
Basic Emotions‐ Criteria
born, quick onset, brief duration, universal, evolutionary
expression, appraisals
if basic covers all of Eikman’s 12 criteria*
we should all be able to experience them unless damage
set patterns of responses
Experiential and Linguistic
Evidence for Basic Emotions
Participants put cards with emotion words into piles
representing similar meanings (Shaver et al., 1987)
Love, anger, hate, depression, fear, jealousy
Experiential and Linguistic
Evidence for Basic Emotions
self report of feelings: description of each feeling
component process: physiological, voice, facial expression
sort them how you like
Shaver et al. (1987) Results
superordinate: positive/negative
basic: fear
subordinate: panic, terror, horror
Shaver et al. (1987) Results
Basic Category: short, quick to learn
representation of fundamental categories
finer distinctions is adding details but not new categories to one’s knowledge
Shaver et al. (1987) Results
difference in cultures: hindu: heroism, peace, wonder North America: contempt, shame short list: other emotions added contempt: anger + disgust disappointment: sadness + surprise Ekman: rollercoaster of emotions
Experiential and Linguistic
Evidence for Basic Emotions
6‐ 12 independent monopolar factors: (anger, anxiety, sadness, elation…)
Independent ‐ no consistent relationship between
discrete emotions
we don’t know if they’re feeling 2 diff emotions
Experiential and Linguistic
Evidence for Basic Emotions
not perfectly correlated
diff phenomenological experiences
Monopolar: scale of 0 —10 are you feeling fear
no fear to all fear - no feeling to strong feeling
Component Process Data –
Facial Expression - Etcoff and Magee (1992)
Drawings of morphed emotional faces
Ps categorized them into discrete categories
Component Process Data –
Facial Expression - Etcoff and Magee (1992)
from little emotion to intense emotion
using basic level emotions to decide shift in continuum even if it shows continuum
Component Process Data –
Vocal Affect - Scherer, Banse, Wallbott, and Goldbeck (1991)
Recorded 2 M & 2 F actors speaking in nonsense sentences conveying different emotions
Acoustic parameters – frequency, intensity, & pitch
Component Process Data –
Vocal Affect - Scherer, Banse, Wallbott, and Goldbeck (1991)
can hear emotion in vocalization
evolutionary purpose for acoustic parameters: across species can hear emotion
distinct vocal affect patterns for distinct emotions
Component Process Data –
Physiological Arousal
ANS activity
James & Lange - distinct patterns of autonomic arousal
linked to discrete emotions
Component Process Data –
Physiological Arousal - Stemmler et al. (2001)
Fear - increases in heart rate; contraction in heart
muscle and respiration‐rate
Anger - rise in blood pressure
Component Process Data –
Physiological Arousal
components hang in obvious consistent recognizable ways
all are important - facial, physiological
Critiques: way we study these: can be biased
cultural differences
Dimensional Accounts of the
Structure of Emotion
combinations of core dimensions lead to structure of
specific emotions
instead of component approach, focus on idea of core affect - experience of emotion
Dimensional Accounts of the
Structure of Emotion
multidimensional scaling - find dimensions
Method: Rate similarities between emotion words +
strength of each at various moments
Dimensional Accounts of the
Structure of Emotion
Pleasant vs. unpleasant: good‐bad, pleasure‐pain, approach‐avoid, rewarding‐punishing, positive‐negative
Activated vs. deactivated: arousal, tension, activity, energy…
Dimensional Accounts of the
Structure of Emotion
blend of activation and valence
find all emotions when plotting
same network
how much arousal, valence determines emotions
Circumplex Structure
Intercorrelated items distributed around dimensions because dependent on the axes
no longer independent - unlike discrete
disagreements among the axes
Circumplex Structure‐ Watson and Tellegen (1985)
monopolar
activation now correlated with high and low affect
Circumplex Structure‐ Watson and Tellegen (1985)
high positive affect: active, elated
low positive affect: drowsy, dull
low negative affect: at rest, calm
high negative affect: distressed, fearful
Dimensional Accounts of the
Structure of Emotion
Emotional feelings best described in terms of 2 (+) dimensions
Feeling (core affect) aspect of emotions is primary
Dimensional Accounts of the
Structure of Emotion
Contradicts theories requiring basic emotions to
have distinct physiological responses
“Basic” emotions psychologically and socially
constructed, not evolved/universal
Component Process Theory
importance of appraisal
Basic emotions reflect combinations of diff appraisals on 4 dimensions:
Pleasantness, control, arousal + unpredictability
Component Process Theory
Lazarus (1991)
Anger = a demeaning offense against me + mine
Disgust = taking in/being too close to an indigestible
object/idea
Fear = facing an immediate, concrete + overwhelming
physical danger
Component Process Theory
Lazarus (1991)
Sadness = having experienced an irrevocable loss Guilt = having transgressed a moral imperative Envy = wanting what someone else has
Component Process Theory
Lazarus (1991)
Happiness = making reasonable progress toward
realization of a goal
Compassion = being moved by another’s suffering +
wanting to help
Component Process Theory
Lazarus (1991)
appraisals we want to take into consideration
if you know situation, you can guess emotion
Component Process Theory: Anger
Widened eyes - unexpectedness
Turned down corners of mouth - displeasure
Furrowed brows - desire to change situation
Tightened lips - sense of control
Component Process Theory: Anger
if all in alignment - confident they are experiencing anger
just because we don’t see these all, doesn’t mean they aren’t angry
Component Process Theory: Anger
given situation can show all of them (easily recognizable), a subset of them
but if all show up, they happen 1 at a time
Functional Accounts of Emotion‐
A. fortheIndividual
Adaptive function
Oatley and Johnson‐Laird’s (1987) cognitive theory:
Functional Accounts of Emotion‐
A. fortheIndividual
Help coordinate mental activity in response to environmental challenges
Specific emotions occur when goal attainment interrupted
Functional Accounts of Emotion‐
A. fortheIndividual
fear: escape, vigilance
info about our environment
evocative element: make ppl do same thing, feel same way - evokes response
Function of Emotions for the
Individual
incentive function: increase bond with others - making ppl laugh
Oatley Laird - more basic emotional approach
Function of Emotions for the
Individual
Happiness ‐ Keep doing what you’re doing
Sadness ‐ Stay still/withdraw; search for a new plan
Anxiety ‐ Stop and be vigilant; escape
Function of Emotions for the
Individual
Anger ‐ Try harder/aggress
Disgust ‐ Reject substance
signals: tell you am i on track
if not, tells you what to do
Function of Emotions for the
Individual
Tooby and Cosmides’s (1990) evolutionary theory:
Brain contains information‐processing programs
Coordinate programs to accomplish major goals
quickly/efficiently
Function of Emotions for the
Individual
Emotions = superordinate mental/neural programs; prioritize/activate subroutine mental programs in response to situations related to reproductive success
Function of Emotions for the
Individual
tell you can i survive, can i reproduce?
emotions dictate priority
make us act quickly - fear - survive
activate fear program - deactivate other program
Function of Emotions for the
Individual
basic emotion approach
no one aspect is golden standard
emotion entire package of affects when package is activated
Function of Emotions – fortheDyad
Communication
Mirror neurons help us feel what others feel
pick up actions as if we are doing it ourselves
Function of Emotions – fortheDyad: Dimberg (1982, 1988)
Presented Ps with pictures of angry/happy faces for ~ 8 ms
know what they feel to know them + adapt to them and help them
imitated them even if only seen for brief
Function of Emotions – fortheDyad
Affective contagion
Klinnert (1984): 12‐ + 18‐month old infants confronted with unfamiliar toy
IV: Mothers reacted to toy w/ joy, fear, no emotion
Function of Emotions – fortheDyad
DV: Compared to the neutral (control) condition:
When the mother showed fear?
When the mother showed joy?
Function of Emotions – fortheDyad
gain info about our world through other ppl’s reaction
informative function
pick up on emotion + experience it too
learn what is best reaction to emotion - comfort a sad person
Function of Emotions – fortheDyad
signal state of desire/relationship
love + sexual interest
dominance + submissiveness
Function of Emotions – fortheDyad
facial expressions signal power differentials
hier position in that pair
works in groups - leader expresses anger
Function of Emotions – fortheGroup
Groups - social coordination Ostracize/exclude someone from group social death - so upsetting used to keep ppl in line shame triggers you to act in line
Function of Emotions – fortheGroup
make behaviour
socially sanctioned
reaccepted
Convey position
Function of Emotions – fortheGroup
shared positivity creates bonds
negative emotions also bring us together
want to be with others who share emotions
Function of Emotions – fortheGroup
convey position: power
elicit awe, embarassement
