Motivation and emotion part 10 Flashcards
(11 cards)
Darwin’s View on Emotions
Key Points:
Biological formulations in the study of emotion are based on Darwin’s ideas, especially from “The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals”
Body movements and facial expressions associated with emotions have an adaptive value
🔍 What’s going on here?
Darwin suggested that emotions are not random. Instead, they evolved just like physical traits. Why? Because they helped us survive.
🧬 Analogy: Emotions as Evolution’s Tools
Imagine you’re a caveman. When you feel fear, your body freezes, eyes widen, heart races. That helps you detect danger (like a lion) and react quickly. That facial expression of fear is not just for you—it also signals to others that there’s danger nearby.
💡 This is what adaptive value means: a trait that helps you (or your species) survive and reproduce better.
Current Neurobiology – Subcortical Areas
Highlighted Sentence:
“Recognition of subcortical areas (older areas) as essential in the experience of emotion.”
“They are basic adaptive processes that are found in the subject before the complete development of the Central Nervous System.”
“They are adaptive mechanisms present in many animals.”
🧠 What are subcortical areas?
Subcortical = “below the cortex” → These are older, deeper brain structures (like the amygdala, hypothalamus, etc.) shared with many animals. Think of them as the ancient core of your brain.
👶 Baby Brain vs Adult Brain
Even before a baby’s full brain (especially the cortex) is formed, basic emotional responses like crying or smiling already happen. That’s because these subcortical areas are active early.
🐶 Analogy: Pets and People
When a dog wags its tail in joy or growls in fear, it’s using the same basic emotional circuits we have. That’s why these responses are said to be present in many animals—they’re evolutionarily conserved.
Triune Brain – Neocortex, Limbic, Reptilian
Highlighted Sentences:
“More and more recognition is also being given to neocortical areas.”
“It has been found that the relationship between hemispheres also impacts emotional functioning.”
🧠 Triune Brain Theory (by Paul MacLean)
Reptilian Brain (Instinctual)
🧱 Oldest part
Controls survival instincts: fight, flight, hunger, reproduction
Limbic Brain (Emotional)
🧠 Adds emotions and memory to raw survival
Key players: amygdala, hippocampus
Neocortex (Thinking)
🧠 Newest part
Abstract thinking, planning, decision-making
🧠 Why is the neocortex now important?
While older theories focused on emotion as primitive, we now know the neocortex modulates emotions. It helps us control impulses, analyze situations, and regulate reactions.
Hemispheric Studies (Khan Academy)?
Interhemispheric: Laterality
Intrahemispheric: Anterior-posterior / Neocortical - Subcortical (limbic)
Processing of emotions vs. Preparation of emotional response
🧠 Interhemispheric = between left and right hemispheres
The left brain is more associated with positive emotions.
The right brain deals more with negative emotions and emotional recognition (like reading facial expressions).
🧭 Think of it as emotional laterality—like how people are left- or right-handed, our brains are emotionally asymmetrical.
🧠 Intrahemispheric = within one hemisphere
This includes:
Anterior (front) = more related to planning and decision (prefrontal cortex)
Posterior (back) = more sensory (receiving info from the outside)
Also, neocortical (thinking) areas vs. subcortical (emotional/instinctual) areas within the same hemisphere.
🎯 Palmero’s Two Emotional Functions
Processing of emotions = Understanding what’s happening emotionally
Preparation of the emotional response = Getting the body ready to act (like heart rate up, muscles tensed)
Are there more things we don’t know? (biological theory)
Yes. Emotions are incredibly complex and dynamic. They involve:
Hormones (like cortisol, adrenaline)
Neural circuits
Past experiences
Social context
And neuroscience is still evolving, which is why it’s valid to ask: “Are there more things that we don’t know?”
Answer: Definitely.!!!
The Amygdala – Processing of Emotional Stimulation
Highlighted Sentence:
“The amygdala receives sensory information from all modalities…”
🧠 What is the amygdala?
It’s like the security guard of the brain, constantly scanning incoming sensory info for danger or emotional relevance.
Sensory info comes from all modalities (sight, sound, touch, etc.)
Talks to:
Hippocampus = memory
Basal ganglia = movement & attention
Hypothalamus = controls hormones (homeostasis)
So it links emotion, memory, attention, and bodily regulation.!!!!!!!
Long Route vs. Short Route (Amygdala’s Two Paths)
Two Neurobiological Systems:
Long Route = through the cortex, then to the amygdala
Short Route = straight to the amygdala
🛤 Analogy: Two Roads to Emotional Reaction
Short Route (fast, reactive)
🛣 Like jumping back from a snake before realizing it’s fake.
Info goes: Thalamus → Amygdala
Fast but less accurate
Long Route (slow, thoughtful)
🧠 You pause, analyze if the snake is rubber or real.
Info goes: Thalamus → Sensory Cortex → Amygdala
More precise, involves reasoning
These routes prepare the emotional response differently. The short one gives you quick reflexes, the long one helps avoid overreacting to things that aren’t threats.
Relationship between the Amygdala and the Cortex?
Key Points:
“There are bidirectional connections between cortical areas and the amygdala.”
“These connections are asymmetrical. They are broader and more solid from the amygdala to the cortex than vice versa.”
“This explains that although there is a potential for the inhibition of emotions, it is a complex activity.”
🔄 What Does This Mean?
The amygdala and cortex talk to each other, but not equally:
The amygdala → cortex path is stronger and broader.
The cortex → amygdala path is weaker and slower.
🧠 Analogy: A Fire Alarm and a Bureaucrat
Imagine the amygdala as a fire alarm: It detects danger and sends alerts to the rest of the brain (especially the prefrontal cortex) immediately.
The prefrontal cortex is like a bureaucrat: smart and cautious, but slow. It can send messages back to suppress or regulate emotional responses (“Wait! That snake is rubber!”) — but it takes effort.
That’s why inhibiting emotions (especially fear, anger) is hard—you’re trying to control a high-speed alarm system with a slow deliberative one.
Amygdala, Thalamus, and Sensory Cortex
Key Points:
“From the thalamus, projections arise that activate both the sensory cortex and the amygdala simultaneously.”
“The amygdala receives direct information from the sensory cortex…”
“…and sends projections to the sensory cortex, influencing processing of the stimulation.”
🚦Signal Flow Map:
Thalamus = relay station (think of it as Grand Central Station)
Sends signals both to:
Sensory cortex (for conscious analysis)
Amygdala (for fast emotional reactions)
Amygdala receives:
A direct fast route from thalamus
A processed slower route from sensory cortex
Amygdala ↔ Sensory Cortex:
It not only receives from the cortex but also sends info back, affecting how you perceive what you’re seeing or hearing.
🧠 Analogy: Emergency Dispatcher and Public News
Imagine there’s an explosion in the city:
The amygdala hears the emergency call first and activates alarms.
The cortex gets the report later, checks the details.
The amygdala can even override or bias what the cortex is processing (e.g., making a loud noise seem scarier if you’re already anxious).!!!!!!!
What is the Rapid Response and Filtering (Amygdala’s Dual Role)?
Key Points:
“The amygdala can resolve a form of action before the information arrives from the sensory cortex…”
“The amygdala can influence the processing carried out in the cortical areas by acting as a filter for emotional information.”
🛣 Two Roles of the Amygdala:
Rapid response initiator
It can trigger action before you’re even consciously aware of what’s happening. Like jerking your hand away from a hot stove.
Emotional filter
It shapes how your brain interprets information based on emotional relevance.
For example, if you’re scared, a neutral face may look threatening.
This shows how emotion colors perception.
Lisa Feldman Barrett – “The Emotion Illusion”
introduces a modern theory that challenges traditional biological views. Barrett argues:
Emotions aren’t just biological “programs” triggered by the brain.
Instead, they are constructed experiences, shaped by:
Brain predictions
Past experiences
Social and cultural context
🧠 Analogy: Emotions as Recipes, Not Reflexes
Instead of emotions being like light switches (on/off), they’re like recipes:
Your brain uses ingredients from your biology, history, and environment to construct the emotional experience.
This is a newer view in contrast to the older biological models, which often treat emotions as hard-wired reflexes (like Darwin’s or LeDoux’s models).
Emotions are constructed, not innate reflexes!!!!!!!
