Emotion

Question 1

What did Ekman claim about basic emotions?

Answer 1

That they are universal across cultures.

Question 2

What evidence did Ekman use to argue for universal emotions?

Answer 2

Cross-cultural comparisons of facial expressions.

Question 3

What did Ekman believe causes basic emotions?

Answer 3

Evolutionary survival needs.

Question 4

What are Ekman’s six basic, universal emotions?

Answer 4

Anger, fear, disgust, surprise, happiness, and sadness.

Question 5

According to Ekman, what does the universality of emotions rely on?

Answer 5

1. Similar facial expressions across cultures.
2. Each emotion having its own neural basis.
3. Emotions evolving to handle survival problems.
4. Emotions occurring automatically.

Question 6

Who are the key theorists of the Core Affect Model?

Answer 6

James A. Russell and Lisa Feldman Barrett.

Question 7

The Russel & Feldman-Barret (1999) Theory of Emotions contrast with which other theories of emotions?

Answer 7

“Basic Emotion” theories (which state emotions are innate, discrete, and triggered circuits).

Question 8

What is the constructivism?

Answer 8

A theory that proposes that emotions are not innate, universal states but are actively constructed by the brain from a combination of cognitive, social, and physiological factors.

Question 9

What does the Russel & Feldman-Barret (1999) Theory of Emotions propose?

Answer 9

The theory proposes that emotions are not distinctly different. There are no basic emotions, all of them are constructed based on a system called core affect.

Question 10

What is the core affect system based on? Please also explain how this system works using the related diagram (the circle of core affect).

Answer 10

The core affect system is based on 2 dimensions: pleasant-unpleasant and high-low arousal. Each existing emotion is falling somewhere around the main circle sections, based on the level of activation/arousal and pleasant/unpleasant valence they have. Unlike ‘Basic Emotion’ theories that propose a set of discrete, innate emotions (like Fear, Anger, Joy), the Core Affect theory proposes that these feelings are dimensional and continuous. The emotion words (joy, fear, anger) are simply labels that people use to categorize specific states/feelings, but there is not a specific type of “fear” or “joy” for all of us, they are different and are influenced by our own experiences.

Question 11

In accordance to the Russel & Feldman-Barret (1999) Theory of Emotions, what other systems/concepts are linked to emotions, except the core affect?

Answer 11

Emotions are also linked to the executive control system (how emotions regulated and appraised), to the language (how emotions are talked about), to the theory of mind, and to the prior experiences.

Question 12

How is an emotional episode created, according to the Russel & Feldman-Barret (1999) Theory of Emotions?

Answer 12

It is “constructed” by the brain by categorizing a core affect state in a given context.

Question 13

How are emotions explained?

Answer 13

it is our response to stimuli that helps regulate survival behaviour

Question 14

What is mentalizing?

Answer 14

Our ability to infer others’ mental state

Question 15

What is mirroring?

Answer 15

Our ability to take on the emotional state of others

Question 16

What is the difference between mood and emotion?

Answer 16

Mood lasts longer (e.g. Depression)

Emotions are more passing in nature (they are transient in nature)

Question 17

What is the general idea in James-Lange theory?

Answer 17

Emotions are a response to our bodily functions

Question 18

What is the general idea in Canon-bard theory?

Answer 18

Our bodily functions are, among other things, a response to our emotions.

They also believed our emotional response starts in the hypothalamus and sends signals to the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the cortex

Question 19

What is Papez-cicuit? name the parts of the brain included in the circuit?

Answer 19

A suggested circuit where all emotions reside. It consists of:

• hypothalamus
• hippocampus
• anterior regions of the thalamus
• cingulate cortex

Question 20

How did Darwin contribute to our understanding of emotions?

Answer 20

Darwin suggests that expression plays a big role in emotions, as the primal response to an emotion, which also communicates to the subject itself and it surroundings how they are feeling

Question 21

What did Freud contribute to our undetstanding of emotions?

Answer 21

Freud used his model of self-understanding (Id, ego and superego) to explain that emotions are a result of our “primitive” urges from the id. He argues that emotions are largely unconcious and form biases that infleunces behavior

Question 22

what is an expression?

Answer 22

A facial and or bodily response that signals emotions to the surroundings, which can also reinforce the emotion in the subject

Question 23

Which contemporary view of emotion does Rolls belong to?

Answer 23

A constructionist view of emotion (but with a special focus on reinforcement / reward and punishment)

Question 24

What is Rolls’ key concept for explaining emotions?

Answer 24

Reinforcers

Question 25

What is a reinforcer in Rolls' model

Answer 25

A stimulus that increases or decreases a particular pattern of behavior

Question 26

What is a positive reinforcer (S+)?

Answer 26

A stimulus whose presence increases a behavior (e.g., tasty food, praise, money).

Question 27

What is a negative reinforcer (S−) (in this context)?

Answer 27

A stimulus whose presence decreases a behavior (e.g., pain, unpleasant noise).

Question 28

What is a primary (unconditioned) reinforcer?

Answer 28

A reinforcer that does not need to be learned, often basic bodily or sensory things (e.g., certain tastes, smells, sensations).

Question 29

What is a secondary (conditioned) reinforcer?

Answer 29

A reinforcer that gains its power through learning, by being paired with a primary reinforcer (e.g., money paired with food/comfort, Pavlov’s bell with food).

Question 30

According to Rolls, what do emotions mainly reflect?

Answer 30

The presence, absence, omission, or termination of positive and negative reinforcers.

Question 31

What are the three main focus points in Rolls’ model?

Answer 31

1. Reward vs. punishment 2. Presence vs. absence of reinforcers 3. Intensity of reinforcers

Question 32

On Rolls’ diagram, what does the vertical axis (S+ to S−) represent?

Answer 32

How pleasant vs. unpleasant something is: High S+ → strong positive emotions (pleasure, elation, ecstasy) High S− → strong negative emotions (apprehension, fear, terror).

Question 32

What does Rolls say emotions depend on, besides reinforcers themselves?

Answer 32

Stimuli and context – the same reinforcer can feel different in different situations.

Question 33

What does the horizontal axis in Rolls’ diagram roughly represent?

Answer 33

Whether a reinforcer is presented or omitted/terminated – moving along the line captures emotions like relief, frustration, grief, sadness, anger, rage, depending on what happens to the expected reinforcer.

Question 34

What were the findings of Schacter and Singer's, 1962 about changes in bodily state and emotions?

Answer 34

Injected participants with epinephrine (adrenaline) Induces autonomic changes such as heart rate - Adrenaline in itself --> did not lead to self-reported experiences of emotion Contrary to James-Lange theory With epinephrine: Participants did self-report an emotion: - In the presence of an appropriate cognitive setting E.g. an angry, or happy man enter the room Without epinephrine: less intense emotional rating in a cognitive setting Experiment indicates: Bodily experiences do not create emotions --> but they can enhance conscious emotional experiences

Question 35

What were the findings of Kluver and Bucy, 1939; Weiskrantz, 1956 experiment about the Kluver-Bucy syndrome in monkeys?

Answer 35

In monkeys, bilateral lesions of the amygdala have been observed to produce a complex array of behaviour - Unusual tameness and emotional blunting - A tendency to observe objects with their mouths - Dietary changes Explained: Objects losing their learned emotional value

Question 36

What were Young et al's findings from 1996 with Patient DR, who suffered bilateral amygdala damage?

Answer 36

Patient DR suffered bilateral amygdala damage Displayed a particular difficulty with recognizing fear Impaired to a lesser degree in recognizing facial anger and disgust Able to imagine the facial features of famous people Not able to imagine emotional expressions Able to recognize famous faces and match different views of unfamiliar people Not able to match pictures of the same person when the expression differed Also difficulties with recognizing vocal emotional expressions Deficit is related to emotion processing'

Question 37

What were the findings of Le Doux, 1996; Ohman et al., 2001 experiment about the amygdala and threat detection?

Answer 37

Ability to detect threat is so important evolutionarily, that it may occur rapidly and without conscious awareness People are faster at detecting snakes and spiders among flowers and mushrooms Preattentive "pop-out" Convincing evidence for the role of the amygdala in fear processing

Question 38

What were the findings of Eisenberger et al., 2003 experiment about pain and social exclusions

Answer 38

fMRI study of a Cyberball game: 3 players - 1 person being scanned After a while the game was fixed such: Condition 1: two players consistenly threw to each other excluding the person in the scanner Condition 2: The player was included Condition 3: The player was excluded, but given the cover story of "due to technical difficulties" Activity on the anterior cingulate correlated with self-reported distress during social exclusion A region of the prefrontal cortex was linked to social exclusion But not exclusion due to technical difficulties - interpreted as playing a controlling role in limiting the distress of social exclusion