Unit 10-11

Question 1

Recognition of subcortical areas

Answer 1

as essential in the experience of emotion
- they are basic adaptive processes that are found in the subject before the complete development of the CNS
- Are adaptive mechanisms present in many animals

Question 2

current neurobiology

Answer 2

Neocortical areas (top part) + relationship between hemispheres also impacts emotional functioning

an impact on extrusion and emotional understanding has also been found in lateral-ventral ad anterior-posterior locations

Question 3

Borod and Madigan (2000) + Palmero

Answer 3

proposed two ways to study the neurobiology of emotions
- interhemispheric: laterality
- intrahemispheric: Anterior-posterior (Neocortical - subcortical) (limbic)

understanding these structures from two functions
- processing emotions
- Preparation of the emotional response

Question 4

Processing of emotional stimulation

Answer 4

Amygdala receives sensory information from all modalities

• contact with the hippocampus and basal ganglia are important structures in memory and attention processes
  + hypocampus essential for the control of homeostasis and neuroendocrine regulation

Question 5

Damasio and the somatic marker hypothesis (hemispheres)

Answer 5

• explains that reasoning is influenced by the neuronal function of the areas associated with emotio

right hemi: linked to body rep.
awareness of bodily sensations, such as pain, heat, pressure, as well as the perception of body posture and movement

Question 6

Ekman involuntary and voluntary emo. expressions

Answer 6

inv: brainstem and limbic system control that expression
vol: cortical brain control that expression

Question 7

Two emotional information routes

Answer 7

Long routes: allow a more detailed and complex analysis of emotional information in the specific associative cortex before the response is generated

Short route : provides a faster but less elaborate emotional response, since the information is passes directly to the amygdala with less processing

Question 8

Relationship between the amygdala and the cortex

Answer 8

• bidirectional connections between cortical areas and the amygdala
• these connections are asymmetrical, are broader and more solid from the amygdala to the cortex than vice versa
• explains that although there is a potential for the inhibition of emotions, it is a complex activity

Question 9

amygdala and the thalamus, and sensory cortex

Answer 9

thalamus: projection arise that activate both the sensory cortex and the amygdala simultaneously.

amygdala receives, direct information from sens. cortex regardless of the type

AMY sends projections to the sensory cortex, influencing the processing of the stimulation in question

AMY can resolve a form of action before info arrives to sens cortex making quick response to threats

AMY can influence the processing being carried out in cortical areas, acting as an emotional filter

Question 10

Regarding the hemisphere

Answer 10

• the left hemisphere controls and modulates spontaneous emotional expression and regulates emotional responses
  -the right hemisphere involved in automatic emotional expression and activation of the autonomic nerviou system

Question 11

Mandler’s theory of emotion

Answer 11

he said that emo. are the result of cognitive appraisal processes

indi: evaluate situations based on pexperiance

emo. are not j a reaction to stimuli but are also influenced by a higher order cognitive processes
arise from interpretations of a sitatuation rather than directly from the sit.

Question 12

Zajonc’s defence of emotion over cognition

Answer 12

emotion can occur without cognition:

• emotion is a basic process: which can occur amoung all animal species
• emo. are inevitable, they occur whither the subject want to or not
• difficult to alter once occured
  -hard to say. main means of comm emo are nonverbal lang

Question 13

Affect cognition interaction - relevance of cognition in affect

Answer 13

assessment is a prior and necessary step for an emotional process to occur - help to understand the inf;. of thoughts on triggering emotions or regulation
stimulus - valuation -> emo.

BUT CLORE AND ORTONY (2000) - the valuation process can happen from multiple processes

Question 14

Affect cognition interaction - assessment pathways (computed or bottom up)

Answer 14

Perspective involves analysing the significance of external stimuli and situations that affect us at the moment they happen

Question 15

Affect cognition interaction -Valutaion pathways (Reinstated - top to bottom)

Answer 15

Scary stimuli from past = we automatically “reintall” the appraisal we made on that previous occasion

Question 16

Affect cognition interaction - types of categorisation (based on the prototype)

Answer 16

Existing similarity between the apparent characteristics of obvs. attributes with those prototype attribute

Question 17

Affect cognition interaction - cate. types (theory based)

Answer 17

considering the underlying aspects of present situation

establishing the extent to which the defining characteristics are met,

regardless of observable characteristics

Question 18

Affect cognition interaction - Forms of processing (associative processing)

Answer 18

situations and events er organised according to the subjective similarity and temporal contiguity they have with tother events that are part of an individual’s experience

Question 19

Affect-cognition interaction - forms of processing (rules-based processing)

Answer 19

org. inform. and sit. according to symbolic structures and rules. which are applies to understand and categorise emotional info

Question 20

Affect-cognition interaction - behaviroal function (preparation for immediate action)

Answer 20

this function involves bing ready to react quickly to an emotionally significant situation, with an increase in processing speed for an efficient response

Question 21

Affect-cognition interaction behavioural function (adaptive flexibility or versatility)

Answer 21

adapt consciously and flexably to different emotional response according to the situation. it is different from preparation fro immediate action, which focuses on rapid response

Question 22

Forgas Affect model

Answer 22

Our emotions influence how we process and remember information
- if we use closed strategies memorisation without understanding to solve a problem then our emotions may have less influence

• if we use more open and flexible strategies then our emotions can affect more how we think and decide