Exam 3: Chapters 8-11 Flashcards
(193 cards)
Emotion
A temporary state that includes unique subjective experiences and physiological activity, and that prepares people for action
- mental features: what a person thinks, feels, is prepared to do
- physical features: activity of the body and brain
Multidimensional scaling
A scale that estimates the similarity of emotional experience by describing the “distance” between them:
- arousal: how energetic a feeling is; measured from low to high
- valence: how positive a feeling is; measured from negative to positive
Appraisal
Conscious or unconscious evaluations and interpretations of the emotion-relevant aspects of a stimulus or event which ultimately influence the emotions we experience. We evaluate:
- self-relevance
- importance
- ability to cope
- ability to control
- etc.
Action tendencies
A readiness to engage in a specific set of emotion-relevant behaviors; borne from evolutionary purposes, indicating emotion as a survival tactic
- for example: emotion of “fear” associated with action tendency “freezing”
James-Lange Theory
Feelings are simply the perception of ones own physiological responses to a stimulus rather than physical responses that occur due to an emotion; essentially physical response happens first and we perceive that as an emotion
(this is not true)
Two-Factor Theory of Emotion (aka Schacter-Singer Theory)
Revision of James-Lange Theory; every stimuli trigger the same general state of physiological arousal, which is then interpreted as a specific emotion based on context (cognitive appraisal)
Again, not true, but it is true that we can interpret the same physiological response in different emotional ways
Fear pathways
Happen simultaneously, therefore indicating that you can feel fear before you conscious process what you’re afraid of
- slow pathway
- fast pathway
Slow fear pathway
Stimulus processed in thalamus, then cortex (processing), then amygdala (emotion)
Fast fear pathway
Stimulus processed in thalamus then amygdala (emotion), not allowing for processing of the stimulus before emotion is produced
Emotional expression
An observable sign of an emotional state (i.e. facial expressions)
Basic facial expressions
- anger
- fear
- disgust
- happiness
- sadness
- surprise
Universality hypothesis
Darwin argued that all emotional expressions mean the same thing to all people in all places at all times; not true, but the New Guinea study showed significant cross-cultural similarities
Facial feedback hypothesis
Imitating emotional expressions can cause the emotional experiences they typically signify
Display rule
A norm for the appropriate expression of emotion, moderated by techniques such as:
- intensification: exaggerating expression of emotion
- deintensification: muting expression of emotion
- masking: expressing one emotion while feeling another
- neutralizing: showing no expression of emotion
Four features that reveal deceptive expression
- morphology (reliable muscles)
- symmetry
- duration
- temporal patterning
How do certain emotions facilitate social behaviors and relationships?
- guilt helps prevent harmful behavior and demonstrates caring, but can be manipulated to control others
- jealousy signals emotional commitment and protects genetic interests, but is a common cause of partner abuse
- embarrassment represents submission to social group and recognition of social error
Mood disorders
Excessively strong emotions
Alexithymia
Difficulty identifying and expressing emotions; trait of autism
Emotion regulation
Use of cognitive and behavioral strategies to influence one’s emotional experience
- cognitive load
- ego depletion
Reappraisal
Changing one’s emotional experience by changing the meaning of the emotion-eliciting stimulus
Compare the four main theories of emotion
Common sense view:
situation -> emotion -> bodily response
James-Lange Theory:
situation -> bodily response -> emotion
Cannon-Bard Theory:
situation -> subcortical brain activity -> simultaneous bodily response and emotion
Schacter-Singer Theory (two-factor):
situation -> simultaneous cognitive appraisal and bodily response -> emotion
Kluver-Bucy Syndrome
Caused by removal of amygdala; characterized by:
- hypersexuality
- fearlessness
- deficits in response to social cues
- fear is harder to condition
Amygdala
- part of the limbic system
- activates emotional facial expressions
- sensitive to fear expression
damage causes difficulty in interpreting expressions and making judgments
The Limbic System
Important for assessing and responding to emotionally relevant stimuli; amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex