Unit 10-11 Flashcards
Behvarioal and Cognitive Theories of emotions
Recognition of subcortical areas
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
current neurobiology
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
Borod and Madigan (2000) + Palmero
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
Processing of emotional stimulation
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
Damasio and the somatic marker hypothesis (hemispheres)
- 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
Ekman involuntary and voluntary emo. expressions
inv: brainstem and limbic system control that expression
vol: cortical brain control that expression
Two emotional information routes
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
Relationship between the amygdala and the cortex
- 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
amygdala and the thalamus, and sensory cortex
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
Regarding the hemisphere
- 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
Mandler’s theory of emotion
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.
Zajonc’s defence of emotion over cognition
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
Affect cognition interaction - relevance of cognition in affect
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
Affect cognition interaction - assessment pathways (computed or bottom up)
Perspective involves analysing the significance of external stimuli and situations that affect us at the moment they happen
Affect cognition interaction -Valutaion pathways (Reinstated - top to bottom)
Scary stimuli from past = we automatically “reintall” the appraisal we made on that previous occasion
Affect cognition interaction - types of categorisation (based on the prototype)
Existing similarity between the apparent characteristics of obvs. attributes with those prototype attribute
Affect cognition interaction - cate. types (theory based)
considering the underlying aspects of present situation
establishing the extent to which the defining characteristics are met,
regardless of observable characteristics
Affect cognition interaction - Forms of processing (associative processing)
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
Affect-cognition interaction - forms of processing (rules-based processing)
org. inform. and sit. according to symbolic structures and rules. which are applies to understand and categorise emotional info
Affect-cognition interaction - behaviroal function (preparation for immediate action)
this function involves bing ready to react quickly to an emotionally significant situation, with an increase in processing speed for an efficient response
Affect-cognition interaction behavioural function (adaptive flexibility or versatility)
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
Forgas Affect model
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
