Emotion Flashcards
(34 cards)
What are the key components of an emotional experience?
An emotional experience includes transient subjective feelings, physiological correlates (e.g., adrenaline), thoughts that accompany feelings, and the desire to take action.
According to Darwin, at what age do emotions like anger begin to appear in infants?
Darwin observed possible signs of anger (frowning, wrinkling skin) in his child as early as eight days old, but noted clear signs of violent passion by around four months.
What are three primary functions that emotions serve?
Emotions promote survival by helping us avoid harm and approach beneficial things, motivate action, and facilitate communication, especially for infants needing caregiver attention.
What is the functionalist approach to emotions?
The functionalist approach suggests that emotions help us achieve goals, influencing both the baby’s actions and the caregiver’s responses.
What is Darwin’s theory of emotion?
Darwin’s theory posits that human emotions are based on a limited set of basic, universal emotions, with a direct, innate link between inner emotional states and facial expressions.
What are the two main theories regarding the development of emotions in babies?
The two main theories are the Undifferentiated Emotions Theory and the Discrete Emotions Theory.
What is the Undifferentiated Emotions Theory?
The Undifferentiated Emotions Theory suggests that early emotions are not distinct, starting with basic dimensions like high/low arousal and positive/negative feelings, which then differentiate into more complex emotions.
What is the Discrete Emotions Theory?
The Discrete Emotions Theory proposes that emotions are innate and distinct from early in life, each associated with unique bodily and facial reactions.
How are facial expressions used to index infant emotion?
Facial expressions are easily identified, expressed through consistent facial postures, and serve as indicators of internal feelings.
What is FACS (Facial Action Coding System) and what is it used for?
FACS (Facial Action Coding System) is a system developed by Paul Ekman to categorize human facial movements by their appearance on the face, allowing detailed analysis of facial expressions.
What are the challenges in coding emotional expressions in babies compared to adults?
Coding emotional expressions in babies is more difficult due to baby fat obscuring musculature and less differentiated expressions.
What are the 6 basic emotions that babies typically show by 6-7 months?
The 6 basic emotions are joy, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise, and fear (though fear is not typically seen in facial expression until around 7 months).
How does smiling develop in infants?
In the first month, smiling is often reflexive. Social smiles typically emerge around 2-3 months, and laughter appears around 5 months.
How do negative emotions manifest in newborns and at 2 months?
Newborns’ negative emotions can be difficult to differentiate. By 2 months, expressions for anger and sadness become distinct from general distress/pain.
What is stranger anxiety and when does it typically occur?
Stranger anxiety is fear related to unfamiliar people, reflecting strengthening attachment to parents. It typically occurs from 6-7 months to 2 years.
What is separation anxiety and when does it typically occur?
Separation anxiety is distress from leaving or being left by a primary caregiver, typically occurring from 8 to 15 months.
How does disgust manifest in infants, and what purpose might it serve?
Disgust responses appear early in infancy, particularly to bitter tastes, and may be innate to protect from harmful substances. By 11 months, infants learn to avoid things based on adults’ disgust reactions.
What are self-conscious emotions and what do they require?
Self-conscious emotions like guilt, shame, pride, and embarrassment relate to our sense of self and understanding of others’ reactions to us, requiring some sense-of-self to display these emotions.
What is the difference between guilt and shame?
Guilt is associated with empathy and remorse, focusing on making up for wrongdoing. Shame focuses on the self and may involve feelings of wanting to hide.
How can parents’ reactions influence whether children experience guilt or shame?
Parents who emphasize the wrongness of the action elicit guilt, while parents who emphasize the wrongness of the child elicit shame.
How does pride develop in children?
Children show pride when achieving a goal, and by age 3, the amount of pride relates to the difficulty of the task. Cultural differences influence the expression and perception of pride.
When does embarrassment emerge in children, and what behaviors are associated with it?
Embarrassment emerges around 15-24 months, often accompanied by a coy smile involving gaze and/or head aversion, typically elicited by social attention.
What are ‘other-conscious’ emotions? Provide examples.
‘Other-conscious’ emotions include sympathy (acknowledging another’s feelings and expressing compassion) and empathy (understanding and feeling another’s feelings).
What is emotional contagion?
Emotional contagion is the tendency to ‘catch’ and feel emotions similar to those of others. Examples include contagious crying in newborns and contagious yawning in children and even dogs.
