Chapter 10 Flashcards
What is Emotion?
A combination of physiological and cognitive responses to thoughts and experiences
Physiological and cognitive responses of emotions
Neural responses
Physiological factors
(Heart rate and breathing changes, hormone levels may spike)
Subjective feelings
Emotional expressions
Desire to take action
(Fight or flight or emotions influence what happens in environment)
theories of emotion
discrete emotions theory
functionalism
discrete emotions theory
argues that neurological and biological systems have evolved to allow humans, from infancy, to experience and then express a set of basic emotions through adaptation to our surroundings
Nature
—Use emotions to survive
—Each emotion has a unique set of physiological and cognitive responses
—Emotions are innate because even young infants have similar emotional expression
—Basic emotions are similar across cultures
—Emotions are automatic
functionalism
argues that individuals experience emotions in order to manage the relationship between themselves and the environment
Nurture
—Using emotions to change environment
—Emotions are goal driven
—Emotions are not unique or discrete or innate
—Emotions can vary depending on the environment you’re in (polite smiles to say hi, similar to being genuinely happy)
nurture: parental influences and definitions
Parents can influence an infant and child’s development of emotions
Parents’ expression of emotions
Parents’ reactions to child’s emotions
Parents’ discussion of emotions
Parents’ expression of emotions
Parents are models that show children what emotions look like and when it is acceptable to show or not show emotions
Parents who don’t share emotions freely may have kids who think they need to suppress their emotions
Too much emotion can also be overwhelming (chaotic home environment)
Kids can be hypersensitive to parent’s emotions
In addition to being affected by parents’ displays of emotion, children’s emotional development is influenced by parents’ emotion socialization of their children
—the direct and indirect influence that parents have on their children’s standards, values, and ways of thinking and feeling.
Parents’ reactions to child’s emotions
Dismissive parents of child’s emotions makes them feel their feelings are invalid and not normal
Parents who are dismissive of child’s emotions makes less sympathetic kids more prone to anger and inability to deal with stress
parents who are supportive when their children are upset help their children regulate their emotional arousal and find ways to express their emotions constructively
the more parents acknowledge and respond contingently to their children’s emotions, the more their children feel validated. In turn, these children tend to be better adjusted and more competent with their peers and to perform better in school
Parents’ discussion of emotions
Talking about/ labelling emotions helps kids cope with it all
Emotion coaching
emotion coaching
Labelling emotions and teaching coping strategies to deal with them
parents not only discuss emotions with their children but also help them learn ways to cope with their emotions and express them appropriately
Children who receive this type of guidance tend to display better emotional understanding than children who do not.
The emergence of emotion: 6 main emotions
happiness
fear
anger
sadness
surprise
disgust
The emergence of emotion: happiness
Reflexive at first
Social smiles (Smiles directed at people)
Laughing
Humour
The emergence of emotion: fear
Signal for support
Stranger danger
Separation anxiety
(distress due to separation from the parent who is the child’s primary caregiver)
Imaginary vs. real-life
The emergence of emotion: anger
Blended with sadness
Anger declines
Unintended harm
The emergence of emotion: sadness
Pain, separation & lack of control
Less common than anger
Signal for support
The emergence of emotion: surprise
Central to learning
Quickly transforms
Violation-of expectancy
The emergence of emotion: disgust
Strong evolutionary basis
Learned
Food then injustices
Self Conscious Emotions definition
Step above basic emotions
Some other emotions are considered self-conscious emotions because they require that children have a sense of themselves as separate from other people
5 of them
Self Conscious Emotions list
Guilt
Shame
Embarrassment
Pride
Jealousy
guilt
you did a bad thing
outward
desire to rectify
requires empathy
shame
you are a bad person
inward
focus on self
Identifying the emotions of others
Social referencing
At 3 months can tell happiness apart from surprise or anger
At 7 months can tell apart fear and sadness, and can tell apart all main 6 emotions
Cultural differences in abilities to identify expressions
social referencing
the child uses their facial expression or vocal cues to decide how to deal with a novel, ambiguous, or possibly threatening situation
Look to parent to know how to react
Understanding real and false emotions
As young as 1.5 years old, notice fake or overreacting expressions
Display rules→ protection of others, self-protection (2 reasons why emotions may be masked)
