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Learning & Memory > Task 5 - Emotion & Memory > Flashcards

Task 5 - Emotion & Memory Flashcards

1
Q

Emotions come as a set of three distinct phenomena:

A
  1. Physiological responses
  2. Conscious feelings
  3. Overt Behavior
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2
Q

What are the six basic emotions?

A
  1. Joy
  2. Anger
  3. Disgust
  4. Surprise
  5. Fear
  6. Sadness
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3
Q

What is an interesting characteristic of the flight or fight response?

A

It is physiologically very similar to the response of intense joy or sexual arousal.

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4
Q

Describe the James-Lange Theory of emotions and an argument that speaks for it.

A

Conscious feelings occur, when the mind senses physiological changes associated with a certain emotion.

  • > First physiological, then mental
  • > Argument: If we make a certain facial expression, we will feel the according emotion
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5
Q

How do modern variations of James Lange’s theory differ from the original?

A

They include a cognitive component between body and mind.

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6
Q

Describe the Cannon-Bard Theory and arguments that support it

A

An emotional stimulus evokes responses in both mind and body.

  • > Emotions can also predict physiological changes, which would mean, that the James-Lange theory is the wrong way around.
  • > Many physiological responses are not clearly associated with one emotion, so how can our mind know, which one is correct in a certain moment?
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7
Q

What is the two-factor theory?

A

Emotions are a product of our physiological responses to the things we pay attention to.
-> Cognitive evaluation of context and other cues.

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8
Q

Describe two experiments related to the two-factor theory.

A

Stress-induced emotional adaptation:
- when given a stress hormone, we label this feeling of stress either positive or negative, depending on how a person in our surrounding behaves.

Situational effects on sexual arousal:
- Attractive girl on safe vs. seemingly unsafe bridge results in different ratios of men calling her back due to misinterpretation of anxiety about the bridge as sexual arousal.

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9
Q

How do emotions modulate the retrieval of memories?

A

Transfer-appropriate processing effect -> When we’re in a certain emotional state, memories that are associated with similar emotions come to mind easily.

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10
Q

Explain the three basic terms and their abbreviations of operant conditioning

A

S^d - Discriminative Stimulus
R - Response
O - Outcome

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11
Q

What does the “cognitive expectancy theory” say?

A

Learning that after a certain stimulus, a response will result in a certain outcome is used for deciding how to act in the future.

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12
Q

What are three important sub-nuclei in the Amygdala?

A

1) Lateral Nucleus
2) Central Nucleus
3) Basolateral Nucleus

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13
Q

How do emotions effect the encoding of memories?

A

Strong emotions promote the initial encoding of the associated event or information.

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14
Q

Why is the finding of Optogenetics significant?

A

If we can turn on/off specific neurons, we could artificially coactivate neurons, leading to LTD / LTP. Thus we could theoretically “teach” the brain.

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15
Q

What is the definition of a phobia?

A

An excessive fear, that has an effect on your daily life.

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16
Q

What is Agoraphobia

A

The fear of having a public panic attack and thus not wanting to leave your safe space i.e. your house.

17
Q

What did Papez find in 1937?

A

He found that the Hippocampus and the Cingulate Cortex are involved in emotions.

  • He then proposed the Papez-circuit, which has been proven wrong
  • Impressive when considering the technological limitation of the time.
18
Q

What is the general role of the Amygdala when it comes to emotions?

A
  • Central role in emotional learning
  • Amygdala activation is associated with emotional arousal
  • Amygdala activation results in more formation of episodic memories than semantic.
19
Q

What is the Lateral Nucleus for and how is it connected?

A
  • Primary entry point for sensory information
  • 2 Pathways:
    1. Thalamus -> Lateral Nucleus (fast & rough)
    2. Thalamus -> Cortex -> Lateral Nucleus (slow & precise)
20
Q

Describe the role of the Central Nucleus

A
  • Receives input from other Amygdala nuclei

- Reports to Autonomous Nervous System which is responsible for the physiological responses

21
Q

How is the Basolateral Nucleus connected and what is its effect?

A
  • Receives input from Lateral Nucleus and projects to many important brain structures like the Cortex, Hippocampus, Basal Ganglia
  • Modulation of memory storage
22
Q

The James-Lange theory is part of a group of theories referred to as:

A

Somatic Theories of emotion

23
Q

Describe the process through which stress hormones effect emotional learning.

A
  1. Central Nucleus gives output to ANS
  2. the ANS releases Epinephrine (no effect on CNS)
  3. Epinephrine reaches Brainstem Nuclei, where Norepinephrine is released (CNS version of Epinephrine)
  4. Norepinephrine effects Basolateral Nucleus, which modulates memory processes
  5. The rhythmic firing of the Basolateral Nucleus coactivates the Hippocampus and the Cortex, resulting in neural learning.
24
Q

What is the role of the PFC when it comes to emotional learning?

A
  • It mediates the effect that emotions have (keeping the balance)
  • Helps us recognize facial expressions
25
Q

Characteristics and symptoms of PTSD

A
  • Develops after highly aversive event
  • Symptoms: re-experiencing event, avoidance of reminders, emotional numbing, heightened anxiety
  • Individuals with PTSD often fail to extinguish the association of the stimulus with the fear response
  • Inhibition from the PFC to the Hippocampus is impaired
26
Q

Who is especially sensitive to developing PTSD?

A

People with:

  • lower Hippocampal volume
  • heightened Amygdala activation
  • a weak support network
  • certain character traits
27
Q

How can systematic desensitization help patients with PTSD?

A

By extinguishing the CS-US association by repeatedly exposing the patient to the CS but without experiencing the US.

28
Q

(According to the two-factor theory) Why do people enjoy horror movies?

A

Because the physiological response of the resulting fear is re-evaluated in the safe context of your home/the cinema and is thus labelled as positive arousal.

29
Q

What is learned helplessness?

A

When we learn that a negative outcome cannot be avoided, we don’t recognize when the opportunity of avoiding it arises and aren’t motivated to seek out for a solution.

30
Q

How do emotions effect the storage of memories?

A

Events connected with strong emotions are more often revisited and talked about, leading to more consolidation. The vulnerable period after each reconsolidation makes emotional memories also more likely to be inaccurate to exaggeration etc.

31
Q

What can be the cause for phobias?

A

 Classical conditioning
 Social Transmission
 Hyperactivity of the Amygdala

32
Q

What is Optogenetics?

A
  • The practice of turning on or off certain neurons at a time
  • Discovered through a gene in algae, that opens up channels in response to certain wavelengths of light
  • This gene could be taken from the algae and transformed into a virus that is injectable into living organisms
  • Blue -> Depolarization
  • Yellow -> Hyperpolarization
33
Q

What is a “Flashbulb memory”?

A
  • A memory formed under extreme emotional conditions
  • Appears especially vivid and long-lasting
  • May be vulnerable for source monitoring errors etc.
  • Are associated with a decrease in memory of background details
34
Q

What is the term for transfer-appropriate processing effect in the context of emotional memories?

A

Mood-congruency effect

35
Q

What is the Anhedonia Hypothesis and why did it get abolished?

A
  • Dopamine gives reinforcers a hedonic value

- Falsification: People with Parkinson’s lack Dopamine but still enjoy things

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