week 3, day 2

Question 1

review of evidence against B.E.A model Subjective Experience

Answer 1

-little evidence that people routinely distinguish b/w feelings of anger, fear, sadness, etc. -When reporting on negative state each emotion is taking over so much none stand alone

Question 2

review of evidence against B.E.A model Instrumental Behaviors

Answer 2

Also looked at behaviors (basic emotion says when you’re angry you wanna yell) -> found animal models don’t have 1:1 -> animals engage in diff behaviors based on how far away an enemy is and their available escape route

Question 3

review of evidence against B.E.A model Neural circuitry

Answer 3

1. Meta-analyses have failed to provide evidence for consistent and specific brain circuitry that distinguishes between emotions -> when looking at the brain not much specificity just getting pleasure/displeasure! 2. Electrical stimulation leads to general pleasure/displeasure but not discrete emotional states 3. Lesions studies rarely interrupt one emotional category

Question 4

review of evidence against B.E.A model physiological activation

Answer 4

There are meta analyses that also show that responses aren’t stable over physiological reaction

Question 5

review of evidence against B.E.A model face and voice

Answer 5

1. Tricky because the faces are often caricatures of emotion (stereotypes of emotion) 2. May seem like we have discrete facial expressions because of the forced choice methodology 3. No evidence for distinct patterns of facial muscle activity or vocal acoustics to distinguish anger, sadness, fear, etc.

Question 6

Core Affect

Answer 6

1. “Simplest raw feelings”: (a) Pleasure/displeasure (b) Activation/deactivation 2. A barometer that sums up an individual’s relationship to the environment at any given time 3. Belief: At any point in time we could go up to anyone and ask them about their core affect and anyone could respond regardless of if you feel an emotion

Question 7

Feldman-Barrett: Emotion Paradox

Answer 7

People want to believe emotions are categories derived through nature but measures only show evidence of one’s core affective state Why->often times researchers would say they don’t have good enough measures and blame this but she says maybe we don’t have basic emotions- they are an illusion Her theory: constructed emotion

Question 8

Feldman-Barrett Model

Answer 8

In this model:

• Assessments of facial expressions, vocalizations, autonomic responses are not assumed to correlate with each other
• Best way to measure emotion is with self-report!
• This is the same process we use for all mental categories; so there is really nothing special about emotion

Question 9

Russell’s Model

Answer 9

• Started working off together but Lisa changed hers
• Antecedent: something in the world triggering it
• We don’t get access to what changes our core affect. Sometimes it’s clear sometimes it’s not cause it’s just in the body
• He adds in attribution, once you figure out your core affect you look for why you feel that way (might be external/internal)
• Antecedent leads to some kind of action and physiologic/ expressive change
• Core affect still separate
• Also separate from behavior
• Stimulus leads to behavior
• That’s why we can watch a scary movie and feel displeasure and aroused but we don’t run out of the room

Question 10

Implications of Feldman-Barrett’s and Russell’s models

Answer 10

Basically that if you don’t have ability to categorize then can you have emotions?

Question 11

If you can’t categorize research

Answer 11

1. Typically looked at concept knowledge for animals, objects, tools, etc
2. Inability to understand the meaning of words
3. Results:
   
   • Controls: 6 diff categories for 6 diff expressions
   • Patients: 3-4 categories max and sorted as pleasure/displeasure and activated/disactivated
   • Similar categorization in children prior to language acquisition (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral.)
   • Fits with core affect….but not discrete emotions