Chapter 11: Emotions

Question 1

Three components

Answer 1

• Behavior
  
  • muscular movement
• Autonomic
  
  • Quick mobilization of energy for vigorous movement
• Hormonal
  
  • Reinforce autonomic responses
  • Secreted by adrenal medulla (Epi and NE) increase blood flow to muscles and cause nutrientes stored in muscles of be converted into glucose
  • Adrenal cortex secretes steroid hormone, which also help to make glucose available to muscles

Question 2

Three major regions of amygdala

Answer 2

Lateral Nucleus
Basal Nucleus
Central Nucleus

Question 3

Lateral Nucleus

Answer 3

Nucleus of amygdala that receives sensory info from neocortex, thalamus, and hippocampus, and sends projection to basal, accessory basal, and central nucleus of amygdala

Question 4

Basal Nucleus

Answer 4

Nucleus of amygdala that receives info from lateral nucleus and sends projections to ventromedial PFC and central nucleus

Question 5

Central Nucleus

Answer 5

Region of amygdala that receives info from basal, lateral, and accessory basal nuclei and sends projections to wide variety of regions in brain

- Involved in emotional responses
- Projects to hypothalamus, midbrain, pons, and medulla
- Responsible for expression of various components of emotional responses
- Most important part of brain for expression of emotional responses provoked stimuli
- Reponsible for harmful effects of long-term stress

Question 6

Conditioned Emotional Response

Answer 6

• Occurs when neutral stimulus is paired with emotion-producing stimulus
• Produces fear reactions
• Damage to amygdala interferes with effects of emotions on memory

Question 7

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex

Answer 7

Region of PFC at base of anterior frontal lobes, adjacent to midline

• Inhibits or prevents fear responses
• Outputs affect variety of behaviors and physiological responses
• Display of courage activates region of vmPFC and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex
• damage= impairment of behavioral control and decision-making

Question 8

Effects of testosterone depends on context

Answer 8

• Testosterone increased punishment and aggression

- In response to generous offer, testosterone increased generosity

Question 9

Activity of serotonergic synapses inhibits aggression

Answer 9

Lowest serotonin levels (5-HIAA) showed pattern of risk-taking behavior, including high levels of aggression

• Fluoxetine (Prozac), a 5-HT agonist, decreased irritability and aggressiveness, and reduced impulsiveness

Question 10

Moral judgments

Answer 10

• Guided by emotional reactions are not simply products of rational, logical decision-making processes
  
  • vmPFC damage= make decisions without strong emotional component and select most practical solution

Question 11

[…] hemisphere plays more important role in comprehension of emotion

Answer 11

Right hemisphere plays more important role in comprehension of emotion

Question 12

Comprehension form word meaning increased activity of […]

Answer 12

Prefrontal cortex bilaterally, the left hemisphere more than the right

Question 13

Comprehension of emotion from tone of voice increased activity of […]

Answer 13

Only right PFC

Question 14

Pure word deafness

Answer 14

Could not comprehend meaning of speech, but had no difficulty identifying emotion being expressed by its intonation
- Caused by damage to left temporal cortex

Question 15

Lesions of […] impair ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion

Answer 15

Lesions of amygdala impair ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion

Question 16

Mirror neurons play important role in control of movement

Answer 16

Located in ventral PFC of frontal lobe, receive input from superior temporal sulcus and posterior parietal cortex

Question 17

People with […] cannot make facial expressions of emotion

Answer 17

People with Moebius syndrome cannot make facial expressions of emotion
- Caused by defective development of nerves involved in movement of facial muscles

Question 18

Genuinely happy smiles involve contraction of muscles […]

Answer 18

Genuinely happy smiles involve contraction of muscles near eyes (Duchenne’s muscles)

Question 19

Volitional Facial Paresis

Answer 19

Difficulty in moving facial muscles voluntarily

- Caused by damage to face region of primary motor cortex or its subcortical connections

Question 20

Emotional Facial Paresis

Answer 20

Lack of movement of facial muscles in response to emotions in people who have no difficulty moving these muscles voluntarily
- Caused by damage to insular PFC, subcortical white matter of frontal lobe, or parts of thalamus

Question 21

Hemisphere’s Roles in Emotion

Answer 21

• Right hemisphere plays a more significant role in expressing emotions
  
  • Left facial sides make stronger expressions of emotions
• Left hemisphere lesions do not impair vocal expressions of emotion
• Amygdala is not involved in expression of facial emotions

Question 22

James- Lange Theory

Answer 22

Theory of emotion that suggests that behaviors and physiological responses are directly elicited by situations and that feelings of emotions are produced by feedback from these behaviors and responses

(stimulus–> ANS –> conscious fear)

Question 23

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

Answer 23

• Feedback from contraction of facial muscles can alter activity of ANS
• Particular pattern of movements of facial muscles cause changes in mood

Question 24

Heredity and Aggressive Behavior

Answer 24

• Plays a significant role in aggressive behavior
• Aggressive behavior is more common in men
• Variety of genes associated with human aggression
  - involved in 5-HT and DA signaling

Question 25

Lesions in [...] impair ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion

Answer 25

Lesions in amygdala impair ability to recognize facial expressions of emotion

Question 26

Stimulationist Hypothesis

Answer 26

recognition of facial expressions of emotions is correlated with ability to perceive somatosensory stimuli