The social and emotional brain Flashcards
define emotion
A state associated with stimuli that are rewarding (i.e., that one works to obtain) or punishing (i.e., that one works to avoid). These stimuli often have an inherent survival value.
define mentalizing
The process of inferring or attributing mental states to others.
define mirroring
The process of sharing the emotions or mental states of others.
define mood
An emotional state that is extended over time (e.g., anxiety is a mood and fear is an emotion).
what are basic emotions
- primary function to mobilise the individual to respond to fundamental and life universal tasks
- the individuals prepared to respond to these events in ways that have been adaptive in the past history of both the species and the individuals own life
Ekamans cirteria to distingush basic emotions
1- distinctive universal signs
2- universal antecedent event (common emotions when the event occurs)
3- distinictive phsyiological/dedicated neural circuits
1- distinctive signals
recognising facial expressions of emotion
define facial expressions
each expression characterised by a unique subet of facial muscles movements
- innate
amygdala
- collection of 13 nuceli deep in the anterior temporal lobe
- 2 amygdale
Kluver-Bucy Syndrome
- temporal lobes of monkeys removed
- range of behavioural changes including responses to a fearful situation
fear conditioning - mice
- lesisons of amygdala distrupt fear conditioning (involved in learning association between shock and neutral stimulus)
- also distrupt storage of response
- lesions do not distrupt fear response to shock
fear conditioning in humans
- fMRI shows amygala activity for learned fear responses stimuli relative to neutral (CS)
- indication of automatic nervous susyem arousal (sweat)
Patient S.M.
- complete bilateral amygdala damage use to calcification
- impaired recognition of fear from facial expressions
dimensions of core effect
Arousal (activation):
- bodily changes that occur in emotion, such as changes in heart rate, sweating, and the release of stress hormone in response to a stimulus
Valence (pleasantness):
- subjective quality, positive or negative of the motional resoone to a specific object or event.
stimulation theory
we come to understand others by vicariously producing their current state in ourselves
- internally and externally
Stimualtion theory - mirror neurons
- discharge during an execution of a goal directed action as well as an observation of the same action peformed by another individual
What do mirror neurons do
- understanding the action of another indvidual from the inside
- gives the person a first person graspm of the motor goals and intentions of another individual
How does stimulation theory relate to empathy
- assumes that sharing of cognitive resources between action/emotion perception and action/emotion production
- this may help us emphathise with others
- when we see someone hurt or happy we feel our own experiences of hurt or happieness which enables us to empathise
Theory of mind
- the ability to represent the mental states of others
- explain and predict the behaviour of other people
what important regions affect theory of mind
- temporal poles
- medial frontal lobes (attending to internal states)
- medial prefrontal cortex
- temporal-partietal junction
Biological motion
motion is an important cue for signalling not just the presence of objects in the environment but also the intentions of other animals towards each other and toward yourself
- different species move in different ways
what does the superior temporal sulcus do
STS neurons are selectivley responsive to the human body in motion
- BOLD response to biological motion- scrambled motion
Theory of mind and autism
- markedly abnormal development/impairement in social interaction and communication
- restricted repertoire of interests and activities
what does a failed theory of mind suggest
- weak central coherence
- systemising versus empathizing
- executive function failure of inhibit reality response
- broken mirror theory
