Lecture 15: emotions Flashcards
What are emotions?
- subjective feelings associated with physiological states necessary to have normal human experiences
examples of physiological response?
- inc. heart rate
- inc. blood pressure
- sweating
- difficult to distinguish responses to different emotions
are they universal/innate?
- same muscles contract for everyone (especially facial expressions)
- we know because babies do it without being taught, blind people do it without ever seeing it
What are the 3 major theories of emotion?
- james-lange
- cannon-bard
- two factor (schachter-singer)
James-lange theory?
- physiological response –> emotion
- assumes phys. response necessary for emotion
- assumes theres a set of phys. responses for each emotion
–> couldn’t distinguish them - suggests that without phys. response, there is no emotion
evidence support/against james-lange theory?
support:
- people who are paralyzed experience less emotion
–> can’t shake/tremble = less fear
–> can’t smile = less happiness
against:
- people given a shot of adrenaline had no emotion
cannon-bard theory?
- phys. response and emotion occur simultaneously and independently*
- happen at the same time
- you can have one without the other
- no relationship between specific emotion and set of phys. responses
two-factor? (schachter-singer) process?
- phys. responses are not specific to each emotion
- we interpret responses differently based on the situation
- two factors:
–> physiological
–> cognitive - process:
–> event
–> phys. response
–> cognitive appraisal / label
–> emotion
define cognitive appraisal?
- explanation for phys. response based on environmental cues
- tells us how to handle the threat or situation
How James-Lange theory of emotion differs from Cannon-Bard’s theory of emotion?
james-lange: phys. response causes emotion
cannon-bard: phys. response and emotion are independent and simultaneous
Which theory of emotion includes appraisal in the process of having the emotion? What does it mean that we do an appraisal of the situation?
- two factor
- appraisal means we look to our environment and the situation to find cues on how we should respond to the stimulus
The amygdala is involved in the emotion on fear. How does the study of people like S.M helps us to come to this conclusion?
S.M. had calcification of both amygdalas
no motor or sensory impairment
no deficits in language, memory, or intelligence
she didn’t experience any fear, had difficulty recognizing fear or anger on other people
What are the 6 universal emotions?
- sad
- happy
- surprise
- fear
- disgust
- anger/contempt
Darwin showed that the expression of emotions is universal. What is the importance of that from an evolutionary perspective
- emotions are important because they serve an adaptive role
- they motivate us to respond to our environment which improves chances of survival
- also important for communicating with others
There is some research indicating that people using Botox experience emotions less intensely. Based on what we learned in class, how do you explain it
- botox injections can change how people’s facial muscles move
- research has shown that changes or limitations in facial expressions can reduce how intensely people feel emotions
