Chapter 12: Emotion, Stress, and Health

Question 1

Components of Emotion

Answer 1

physiological- changes in bodily arousal
cognitive- appraisal and interpretation of feeling
behavioral- expression of emotion

Question 2

Physiological Component

Answer 2

changes in bodily arousal like increased heart rate, body temp, and respiration

produced by autonomic nervous system
difference in intensity of emotion relates to sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight). parasympathetic works to calm people down

Question 3

Cognitive Component

Answer 3

1. evaluative thoughts people have about their emotional experiences
2. appraisal of events that are producing the emotion

influencing how intensely we will experience the emotion.
interpretation shapes how people experience the emotion

Question 4

Behavioral

Answer 4

express emotion through body language

6 fundamental emotions: anger, sadness, happiness, surprise, fear, and disgust

Question 5

3 Measurements of Emotions

Answer 5

behavioral displays of emotions

self-reports of emotions

psychophysiological reactions

Question 6

Behavioral displays of emotion

Answer 6

observed by objective rater
actions, facial expressions

Question 7

Self-rating of emotion

Answer 7

measure a person’s emotional experience

may be inaccurate and only provides limited feature

Question 8

Physiological Reaction to stimuli

Answer 8

Facial Electromyography (EMG)- measures contraction of facial muscles. pleasant stimuli activates muscles involved in smiling. negative stimuli –> frowning

Heart Rate- unpleasant leads to lower heart rate, pleasant is associated with accelerated heart rate

Skin Conductance- high skin conductance -> more perspiration -> more arousal of emotion

Startle Reflex- measures involuntary movements like eye blinks

Question 9

Cognitive Function of Emotions

Answer 9

help us organize our memories
help us prioritize our concerns and needs
may help us form judgement and make decision

Question 10

Behavioral Function of Emotions

Answer 10

minimize negative emotions and maximize positive emotions

action tendencies

Question 11

Social Functions of Emotions

Answer 11

emotions help coordinate relationships
can improve quality of emotions (sharing emotions can lead to intimacy and help form relationships)

Question 12

James Lange Theory

Answer 12

1. emotions. begins with perception of environment
2. elicitation of physiological and behavioral change
3. processed by the cortex and converted into emotion

appraisal lead to immediate physiological (SNS) reaction
typically leads to behavior
each emotion has unique SNS signature
people’s “experience” of emotion is an afterthought

ex. sam experienced high arousal and then interpreted it as anger
“I did not run because I was afraid. I felt afraid because I ran”

critic: predispose that every emotion has specific physiological response. fear of exam and fear of dog is different. not possible.

Question 13

Cannon-Bard Theory

Answer 13

After perceiving an event, thalamus simultaneously relays information about event to sympathetic nervous system and to part of brain that perceive emotion

aka. experience of emotion and activation of sympathetic nervous system happen at the same time

Question 14

Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory

Answer 14

1. emotions. begins with perception of environment
2. elicitation of physiological and behavioral change
3. cognitive label of emotion
4. feels a specific emotion

arousal in all emotions is the same. undifferentiated arousal of SNS. cognitive label turns undifferentiated arousal into a specific emotion

cognition determines whether the state of physiological arousal will be labeled as “anger”, “joy”, “fear”, etc.

[read about experiment]

Question 15

Cognitive-Meditational Theory
aka Appraisal Theory

Answer 15

Richard Lazarus

cognitive appraisal affects how people interpret physical arousal and the level of arousal itself

Not afraid of bear in zoo because we can assess that it is of no danger.

more on slides

Question 16

Facial Feedback Theory

Answer 16

subjective experience of emotion are influenced by sensory feedback from facial muscle activity

facial efference- sensory feedback from facial muscular activity

Duchenne Smile

Question 17

Evolutionary Theory

Answer 17

emotional expression serve as communicative function that is essential to survival.

certain emotions have been passed down through generations because they have played a key role in survival
basic emotions: surprise, interest, joy, rage, fear, disgust, shame, and anguish

Question 18

Lewis’s Cognitive theory of Emotional Development

Answer 18

most emotions can be experienced and expressed only after particular cognitive abilities have developed.

babies are bored with limited capacity for emotional experience.
3 months: happiness, sadness, disgust
4-6 months: anger, surprise
7-8 months: fearfulness
18-24 months: objective self awareness
2-3 year: self-conscious evaluative emotions

Question 19

Izard’s Differential Emotions Theory

Answer 19

particular emotions become more prominent during specific life stages as they serve stage-related developmental processes

aka emotions evolve to help individual develop

Question 20

Thalamus

Answer 20

serves as a relay station for a great deal of incoming information in the brain, including emotions information

Question 21

Prefrontal Cortex

Answer 21

heightened activity in right when experienced negative emotion, and left when experienced positive emotions

involved in coordinating emotional responses

Question 22

Emotional Clarity

Answer 22

ability to accurately identify and distinguish one’s emotion

if we are able to better pinpoint our emotion, we can better understand the cause of emotion, the context, and make more appropriate actions

Question 23

Attention to Emotion

Answer 23

person’s tendency to take notice of, value, and focus on his/her mood.

more awareness of emotion = greater access to them, greater ability to use them in positive ways

Question 24

Emotional Intensity

Answer 24

strength to which an individual typically experience emotions

more emotional intensity = bigger emotional response

Question 25

Patterns of Emotional Response

Answer 25

hot cluster- high intensity, high attention to emotion, high clarity

cool cluster- low emotional intensity, attention, and clarity

overwhelmed cluster- average emotional attention, high emotional intensity, low emotional clarity

cerebral cluster- high emotional clarity, average emotional attention, low emotional intensity

Question 26

Regulation of Emotion

Question 27

Emotional dysregulation

Answer 27

unhealthy attempts to regulate demotion

ex. suppressing emotion

Question 28

Gender difference in emotions

Answer 28

women express emotions more often and more intensely than men

Question 29

Display Rules

Answer 29

cultural expectations that prescribe how, when, and by whom emotions should be expressed

play a role in difference of expression of emotion between gender and cultures

Question 30

Alexithymia

Answer 30

unable to identify and describe own emotions. often confuse emotions with symptoms of medical problems

Question 31

Hypervigilance

Answer 31

attend to emotions too much. tend to be more anxious

Question 32

Antisocial personality Disorder

Answer 32

too little emotion. incapable of caring deeply for others. more likely to violate needs of others

Question 33

Borderline Personality Disorder

Answer 33

intense emotions that they are unable to regulate.
may show impulsivity or even resort to self mutilation

Question 34

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Answer 34

experience excessive anxiety under most circumstances

Question 35

Panic Disorder

Answer 35

experience repeated panic attacks
more attentive to bodily sensations, experience more intense bodily sensations, more inclined to misinterpret their sensations

Question 36

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Answer 36

when obsessions or compulsion is excessive

Question 37

Depression and Mania

Question 38

Major Depressive Disorder

Answer 38

suffer only from depression

Question 39

Bipolar Disorder

Answer 39

display alternation or mixture between mania and depression

Question 40

Acute Stressor

Answer 40

situation that trigger stress that is short term and has definite endpoint

Question 41

Chronic Stressor

Answer 41

situation that trigger stress that is long term and often lacks definite endpoint

Question 42

Four Kinds of Stress Experience

Answer 42

frustration- emotion people fee when thwarted in pursuit of a goal

pressure- expectation or demand that someone acts in a certain way. varies with difficulty of task

conflict- discomfort brought about by 2 or more goals perceived to be incompatible

danger- life threatening situations.

Question 43

3 basic types of conflict

Answer 43

approach-approach conflict- must choose between 2 equally desirable options

avoidance-avoidance conflict- choose between 2 equally undesirable options

approach-avoidance conflict- both have undesirable and desirable options, causes us to be ambivalent