Module 10: Emotion and Personality Flashcards
What is the categorical versus dimensional perspective of emotions?
Categorical
- Discrete primary emotions that underlie all the terms people use to describe how they feel
- Theories that characterize emotions with patterns of features with which they are associated (i.e., facial expression)
Dimensional
- Emotions vary on a spectrum (i.e., like valence)
- Use factor analysis to identify latent factors
Distinguish between the content of an individual’s emotional life versus the style of an individual’s emotional life.
Content
- Describes the emotions experienced (i.e., pleasant, unpleasant)
Style
- How the emotions are experienced (i.e., fluctuating, consistency)
The __________ system is one of the most important areas of the brain for emotion and memory
limbic
What 4 brain structures comprise the limbic system?
- Hypothalamus
- Thalamus
- Amygdala
- Hippocampus
According to Eysenck’s biological theory, the sensitivity of the limbic system determines a person’s tendency to experience…
certain negative emotions since these emotions are implicated in the fight-or-flight response
This brain structure is vital for the activation of the sympathetic nervous system which is involved in emotional experience
Hypothalamus
This brain structure is considered the brain’s relay centre for sensory input and has neural connections to the amygdala and higher cortical areas concerned with further information processing
Thalamus
This brain structure contributes. to processing emotional information and sending that information to other brain regions
Amygdala
This brain structure has a central role in memory processes and combines emotional experiences with cognition
Hippocampus
___________ can shape both amygdala activation and whether fear learning occurs
Context
Moriceau and Sullivan (2006) conducted a study in which rat pups were exposed to odor cues paired with electrical shocks when their parent was absent versus present. What did they find?
In contrast to rats whose parent was not present, pups whose parents were present did NOT show an increase in the activation of their amygdala
Ranieki et al., (2012) conducted a study comparing rats who lived in a maltreatment condition versus a normal condition and found that….
during their adolescence, rats who endured the maltreatment condition demonstrated characteristics analogous to symptoms of human mood disorders as well as elevated amygdala activation
Human studies have found links between the amygdala and individual differences in the big five traits especially…
neuroticism and extraversion
In a large scale fMRI study involving male participants it was found that those with higher neuroticism scores also showed elevated amygdala activated when presented with ____________ faces, and this effect was amplified when they were in ______________ conditions
fearful; stressful
Fournier and colleagues (2015) have suggested that differences in amygdala activity could possibly be used as a biomarker to distinguish between what two psychological disorders?
Bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder
