W17 Motivation and Emotion Flashcards
Identify three aspects of emotional experience beyond positivity and negativity of the emotion that affect the link between emotional experience and well-being.
Intensity, fluidity and context
Intensity: Too positive of an emotion affects our overall well-being as it leads us to be addicted and reliant on that feeling, leading to depression.
Low negative emotions are also harmful because it prevents you from having the motivation to change.
Summed up as too much of a good thing and too little of a bad thing
Fluidity: Greater fluctuations of emotions are associated with worse well-being. Overall, relative stability (but not rigidity) in emotional experience appears to be optimal to well-being.
Context: The context refers to the external environment which is important because it determines the best emotion to feel. Regardless of if the emotion is positive or negative the context in which it is experienced critically influences whether the emotion helps or hinders one’s well-being. For example, experiencing fear (negative emotion) when there is a threat involved.
Explain the general pattern of associations between emotional experience and well-being.
Well-being and positive emotions have a positive correlation as it increases life satisfaction, life expectancy, increases physical health, greater resilience to stress, and better social connection with others.
What is emotional coherence?
Emotional coherence is the alignment and harmony between one’s thoughts, emotions and actions. When someone experiences emotional coherence, their feelings are consistent with their beliefs, values and behaviors.
What are drive states?
Drive states motivate approach or avoidance behaviors that generate behaviors that result in specific benefits for the body.
What does affective mean?
having to do with emotions.
Describe biological goals accomplished by drive states:
Drive states allow us to achieve a state of homeostasis.
What is emotional valence?
the extent to which an emotion is positive or negative.
What are characteristics of drive states?
Drive states narrow our attention to our biological needs associated with that drive, narrowing a collapsing of time- altering perspectives that makes us more impatient and selfish.
How does our body restore homeostasis and give an example
Our body restores homeostasis by drive states using both pleasure and pain (punishments and rewards).
For example, entering cold water when your body temperature is above the set point feels pleasurable as you are getting back down to the set point temperature of the body.
How is homeostasis maintained?
Homeostasis is maintained by first establishing a set point and then a mechanism (drive states) for moving the system back to the set point
Examples of drive states:
Hunger and sexual arousal
Characteristics of homeostasis
Homeostasis has a set point that is our equilibrium state, of which our body is always trying to get back to.
What are the main moderators and determinants of hunger?(parts)
The hypothalamus regulated biological drives. With hunger it is the lateral hypothalamus tasked with initiating hunger. Satiation (feeling of being full) occurs in the ventromedial hypothalamus.
Outline the neurological basis of drive states such as hunger and arousal
Hunger is triggered by low glucose levels in the blood, therefore the drive state is triggered to restore homeostasis. It can also be triggered by the surrounding environment.
Sexual arousal is triggered by the absence of sexual activity (internal cue) or the presence or possibility of sexual activity (external cue).
What are the main moderators and determinants of arousal?
The process of sexual arousal differs between sexes: in males the preoptic area of the anterior hypothalamus controls this desire.
Whereas in females it is the ventromedial hypothalamus tasked with this role.
Lesions and drive states
Lesions (damage) to any area involved with drive states will cause the absence of the function fulfilled.
Homeostasis set point
The ideal stable level that is compared to.
Preoptic area
Regulates male sexual drive.
Ventromedial hypothalamus
Regulates female sexual drive and satiation.
Lateral hypothalamus
Regulation and generation of hunger.
Hypothalamus
Regulates biological drives.
What is affective neuroscience?
Affective neuroscience examines how the brain creates different emotional responses
What are some neuroscience techniques used to study emotion in humans and animals?
Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) on humans. Animals have a more basic nervous system bu still used for studies using more invasive techniques such as electrode implantation, lesioning and hormone administration.
Give examples of exogenous chemicals (e.g. drugs) that influence affective systems and discuss their effects.
Opiate drugs such as morphine and heroine, as well as nicotine, artificially produce feelings of pleasure and gratification. These drugs prevent panic or separation distress as it relaxes you.
Discuss multiple affective functions of the amygdala
The amygdala can be divided into many sections and is primarily activated during fear, uncertainty as well as positive emotion.
Discuss multiple affective functions of the nucleus accumbens
The nucleus accumbens is primarily activated during reward processing and motivation.
How does incentive salience work and what is it?
Incentive salience is a component of the reward system.
The greater the incentive salience, the more dopamine involved.
What’s the importance of the left frontal cortex over the right?
The left frontal cortex is more active during appetitive emotions e.g. desire and interest.
