week 2, day 2

Question 1

Paul Ekman

Answer 1

• Started Studying facial/ emotional expressions in 1965

- Belief at the time: expressions were socially/ culturally learned

Question 2

Are emotional expression universal?

Answer 2

1) Showed emotional expressions to people from diff countries
2) Could also have been that these countries all have exposure to TV and that’s why they’re all learning something
3) Saw non-literate, isolated group in New Guinea; had never seen any outsiders
4) Conclusion: So he found that emotions are not socially learned and culturally variable

Question 3

(some) Handy Dandy Rules for Emotions

Answer 3

1) Distinctive universal signals (facial expressions)
2) Comparable expressions in other animals
3) Emotion-specific physiology (CNS/ANS)
4) Universal antecedent events
5) Coherence in the response systems
6) Quick Onset
7) Brief Duration
8) Unbidden occurrence

Question 4

Distinct physiology study (Ekman et al., 1983)

Answer 4

1) Posed people in certain ways to get the expression
2) The idea was happiness goes with a smile so much that we can get you to feel happier by getting you to smile

–>called inaccurate though

Question 5

Six basic emotions +1

Answer 5

1. Anger
2. fear
3. disgust
4. surprise
5. happiness
6. sadness
   (7. contempt)

Question 6

Jaak Panksepp

Answer 6

1) Took a “basic” approach on motivation rather than emotions
2) Basic emotional command circuits that regulate basic survival/ adaptive tendencies

Question 7

Panksepp’s Neural Circuits

Answer 7

1) Seeking: our urge to explore our environments (appetitive motivational system- “wanting”
2) Rage: related to aggressive impulses “affective attack” not predatory or intermale aggression
3) Fear: our urge to hid/ freeze or flee when there is danger
4) Lust: related to sexual desire/urge
5) Care: our urge to nurture/take care of another (parent to child)
6) Panic: related to separation distress
7) Play: basic system for joy/play “tickling in rats”

Question 8

Evidence for Panksepp’s model

Answer 8

• > Drugs affect these circuits differently
  1) E.g. opioids reduce separation distress but aren’t effective in reducing fear
  2) Medications used for general anxiety fear are not effective for panic attack separation distress