Week 2 Flashcards
State the components of the central nervous system (brain & spinal cord) and their function
1) Sensory input received & processed by thalamus
2) Passes information on to limbic system & cortex
3) Limbic system
- hypothalamus
- hippocampus
- amygdala - critical for emotional processing
State the components of the peripheral nervous system and their function
1) Sensory-somatic nervous system - moves limbs by controlling the muscular system - receives information from senses
2) Autonomic nervous system (ANS) - regulate emotions in the body - transmits impulses from CNS (especially the limbic system) to peripheral organs - controls heart rate, dilations/constrictions of blood vessels & pupils, & air flow in lungs
What is meant by bidirectional projections that underpin emotional experience?
1) brain impacts on body via visceral efferent (outward)
pathways
2) body impacts on the brain through afferent (inward)
feedback
- e.g. laughter yoga: initially awkward & forced; becomes
spontaneous & contagious later
- laughter is possible without humour or cognitive thought
- autonomic activation colours the subjective experience
State the four regions of the prefrontal cortex and their function
1) orbitofrontal - integrates exteroceptive/interoceptive (int/ext stimuli) sensory info, for behaviour and core affect
2) dorsomedial/ventromedial - for emotion perception and experience (draws on prior experience)
3) dorsolateral - directs generation of emotion
4) ventrolateral - selects response and directs attention stimuli
State the function of each of the four components of the part of the brain that is
responsible for conscious emotion experience (Anterior Cingulate Cortex).
1) Subgenus cingulate (sACC), associated with:
- sudden calmness
- disappearance of the void
- sense of heightened
awareness
- increased interest
- connectedness
2) Caudal dorsal region: appraisal & expression of emotion
3) Ventral rostral region: regulation of amygdala
3) Dorsal anterior mid-cingulate cortex for:
- executive attention
- motor engagement during response selection
What is central autonomic network responsible for, and what are the characteristics
of its outputs?
Controls psychophysiological resources during emotion for goal directed behaviour and flexibility to environmental change. Output is HRV:
- increased, increased PSNS function, positive
- decreased, less PSNS, depression/anxiety
How does the Polyvagal theory explain social engagement and withdrawal?
1) Engagement, less amygdala, more vagal nerve (HRV), increased positive, facial expression
2) Withdrawal, more amygdala, less vagal nerve, (HRV), fight or flight, negative
State the emotion-specific features of two of the following emotions: fear, anger, disgust, sadness and happiness.
1) anger:
- lowered eyebrows drawn together, tensed lowered eyelids & pressed lips
- no change in HRV
- importance of context & individual differences, e.g.
fear ⇒ sympathetic activation, increased heart rate
threat ⇒ immobilisation response & sympathetic inhibition, decreased heart rate
How does the OCC model of emotion aid affective computing?
1) A structural model, set of appraisal variables to distinguish different emotions
2) Decision tree for classifying emotion-evoking situations, 3 classes:
- intrinsically pleasing/displeasing
- related to an
individual’s goals
- impact on social norms
3) Large number of criteria can impact the intensity of emotional reactions
How does the Lazarus’ appraisal theory differ from the OCC model of emotion?
1) Process oriented
2) Emphasis both the antecedents &
consequences of emotion
3) Appraisals shape broader patterns of behaviour (i.e., coping strategies) ⇒ influence subsequent appraisals in a dynamic, cyclical process of appraisal & reappraisal
How does Scherer’s sequential checking theory differs from OCC model of emotion and Lazarus’ appraisal theory?
1) If relevant, they are judged for implications for individual’s goals
2) Coping potential is
assessed
What is an affect-derivation model?
1) Maps appraisal variables & an affective state
2) Specifies how an individual will react emotionally
3) Considers any mapping from appraisal variables to
affective state
What is an affect-intensity model?
1) Specifies strength of emotional response resulting from a specific appraisal
2) Close association between affect-derivation model & intensity model but can be independently varied
3) Uses a subset of appraisal variables, e.g., some notion of desirability & likelihood
3) May involve several variables unrelated to appraisals
In the affect-consequent model, how does the consequent model operate?
1) distinguishes consequences by whether they form a cycle by altering
the circumstances that triggered the original affective response
2) a robot that merely expresses fear when its battery is expiring (open-loop)
3) or one that translates this fear into an action tendency to seek power
(closed-loop)
4) open-loop - appropriate in multi-agent setting
5) closed-loop - for emotion as a continuous cycle of appraisal,
response & reappraisal
