Lecture 7: Emotional Development Flashcards
emotions
a combination of physiological and cognitive responses to experiences
what responses are involved in emotional experiences?
- Neural response
- Physiological factors
- Subjective feelings
- Emotional expression
- Urge to take action
examples of neural responses
amygdala activation & the release of cortisol and adrenaline
examples of physiological factors
heart racing & nausea
examples of subjective feelings
recognition of danger & feeling of fear
examples of emotional expression
eyes wide, eyebrows raised & mouth pulled back
examples of the urge to take action
run away & lock the door
discrete emotions theory
Neurological and biological systems have evolved to allow humans to experience and express a set of innate, basic emotions
basic emotions
innate emotions that were important for survival and communication and thus largely automatic
evidence for basic emotions
- Basic emotions are universal across cultures
- Basic emotions are present from infancy
what are the basic emotions?
- Happiness
- Fear
- Anger
- Sadness
- Disgust
- Surprise
(inside-out characters plus surprise)
beyond basic emotions
- Other emotions develop later and/or are not culturally universal
- Other emotions are variations in intensity or combinations of basic emotions
how do we know what babies are feeling?
Systems of coding facial cues have been developed to make interpretations of infants’ emotions more objective. They link particular facial expressions and facial muscle movements with particular emotions
happiness cues
smiling, raising cheeks, eyes squinting
anger cues
strongly furrowed brow that comes down in the centre, open square-shaped mouth, sometimes baring teeth, flared nostrils
emotions at birth
At birth, infants experience 2 general emotional states
what 2 emotional states are present at birth?
- Positive, indicated by approach behaviour
- Negative/distress, indicated by crying or withdrawal behaviour
emergence of basic emotions
Basic emotions emerge in a predictable sequence over the first year of life
why is happiness adaptive?
it motivates us to approach situations that are likely to increase chances of survival
when do smiles evoked by biological states first occur?
from birth
when do social smiles first occur?
2-3 months
when do infants first laugh?
5 months
development of the source of happiness
- What makes children smile and laugh changes with cognitive development
- ex. At 5 months old, they laugh at bodily noises, but at 4 years old, they laugh at jokes
why is anger adaptive?
it helps us defend ourselves against threats and to overcome obstacles to our goals