Emotions

Question 1

What is emotion?

Answer 1

Essential feature is experience

Question 2

What are the 2 dimensions of emotion?

Answer 2

Valence: how positive or negative
Arousal: how passive or active

Question 3

James-Lange theory

Answer 3

Physiological response precedes emotion

Question 4

Cannon-Bard theory

Answer 4

Physiological response and emotion occur simultaneously

Question 5

Why is the Cannon-Bard theory better than the James-Lange?

Answer 5

• Emotions happen quickly, even if body reacts slowly
• People have difficulty detecting bodily response as emotional stimuli
• Not enough distinct responses for all emotions

Question 6

Schacter and Singer’s Two-Factor theory

Answer 6

Context + interpretation determines emotions, though some physiological responses are limited to one emotion (e.g. red cheeks for blushing)

Question 7

Role of amygdala

Answer 7

Involved in production of emotions (e.g. fear) and critical in making appraisals (evaluates emotional relevant aspects of stimulus)

Question 8

What is the fast pathway for threat detection?

Answer 8

Stimulus -> thalamus -> amygdala

Question 9

What is the slow pathway for threat detection?

Answer 9

Stimulus -> thalamus -> cortex -> amygdala

Question 10

What’s the role of the cortex in threat detection?

Answer 10

It downregulates the amygdala by determining whether or not the emotion is appropriate

Question 11

Describe behavioural strategy of regulating emotions

Answer 11

Avoidance of negative situations

Question 12

Describe cognitive strategy of regulating emotions

Answer 12

Recruiting memories of desired emotions

Question 13

What doesn’t work when it comes to regulating emotions?

Answer 13

Suppression, which is the inhibition of outward emotion or trying to push back thoughts about the situation. This can result in the rebound effect.

Question 14

What does work when it comes to regulating emotions?

Answer 14

Affect labelling and reappraisal

Question 15

Affect labelling

Answer 15

Putting feelings into words, which reduces the intensity of the emotion and identifies the cause.

Question 16

Reappraisal

Answer 16

Changing emotions by changing thoughts about the emotion-causing stimuli

Question 17

Emotional expression

Answer 17

Observable sign of an emotional state and can be observed from vocal cues, direction of gaze, gait, etc. They can convey messages.

Question 18

Action unit

Answer 18

Muscles and movements in the face that help us make expressions

Question 19

Universality hypothesis

Answer 19

Emotional expressions for anger, disgust, fear, happiness and sadness is universal.

Question 20

What evidence supports the universality hypothesis?

Answer 20

• Emotional expressions can be observed even in newborns

- People are accurate when judging emotional expressions, even of members of other cultures

Question 21

Facial feedback hypothesis

Answer 21

Emotional expressions can cause emotions (e.g. biting down on a pencil to mimic smiling). Effects are not limited to the face (e.g. fists = aggression)

Question 22

Display rules

Answer 22

Norms for appropriate expression of emotion. Requires intensification, deintensification, masking or neutralizing.

Question 23

Intensification

Answer 23

Exaggerating expression of emotion

Question 24

Deintensification

Answer 24

Muting expression of emotion

Question 25

Masking

Answer 25

Expressing one emotion while feeling another

Question 26

Neutralizing

Answer 26

Feeling an emotion but not displaying it AT ALL

Question 27

Distinguishing between sincere/insincere expressions (4 points)

Answer 27

Morphology: facial muscles tend to resist conscious control Symmetry: sincere expressions are more symmetrical Duration: sincere expressions last between 0.5 and 5 seconds Temporal patterning: Sincere expressions appear and disappear smoothly over a few seconds

Question 28

Nonverbal behaviour of liars (4 points)

Answer 28

- Speak more slowly - Take longer to respond - Respond in less detail - Lack small imperfections in speech

Question 29

What is the correlation between people's ability to detect lies and confidence in that ability?

Answer 29

Zero! We're horrible at detecting lies and perform at chance levels (machines aren't much better)