Emotion/Stress/Motivation/Intelligence

Emotion

Body's adaptive response. Response of whole organism, involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience

Common Sense View

Emotion then Physiological response. (ex. You are happy, so then your heart starts beating quickly, emotion so response)

James-Lange Theory

Physiological response then Emotion. (ex. We feel sad because we cry, emotion because response) High road, you think about stuff, thalamus to cortex. Low road, automatic, Thalamus to amygdala

Cannon-Bard Theory

Physiological and Emotion happen at the same time. Falling out of favor due to lack of evidence (ex. My heart begins pounding as I feel fear.)

Schachter-Singer Theory (2 factor theory)

Physiological, cognitive label, then emotion. Supported by spillover effect. (ex. I am trembling because of a snake in the room, so I must be afraid)

Spillover Effect

Emotions from one situation spills into the next and affects the reaction of the next situation that happens. Used to support 2 factor theory.

Zajonc-LeDoux

Emotional reactions are separate from our cognitive label. Emotions needed for immediate survival are activated faster through a fast pathway while other emotions are activated through a slow pathway. Some embodied emotions happen instantly, without conscious appraisal.

Lazarus

Cognitive appraisal leads us to physiological arousal and emotions.

3 Primary Emotions (Evolution)

Fear, anger, and happiness. The body's adaptive responses that motivate adaptive response for survival.

Negative emotions

Right prefrontal cortex

Positive emotions

Left prefrontal cortex

Polygraph

Collects information about your body's physiological response. Used as a lie detector, although fMRIs are more effective. Polygraphs have a couple flaws and aren't always that accurate.

What information does a Polygraph collect?

Heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and (galvanic skin response) perspiration

How to use a Lie Detector

Ask a control question first. A question you can't really lie about and that the person knows the answer to. (ex. What day is it today? How did you get here? What color is your shirt?). Then ask the relevant questions, related to the topic or reason they are being questioned for.

Paul Ekman

Facial expressions are universal. We can always detect happiness, sadness, shock, and fear.

Facial Feedback Effect

Tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings.

Smile Therapy

Smiling at yourself makes you feel better. Smiling is natural therapy.

Facial expressions are...

Natural (hard-wired) You don't think about them

Two Dimensions of Emotion

High/low arousal and positive/negative valence. Pos valence is happiness and neg valence is sadness/anger.

Izard

Most emotions are present in infancy, there are 10 emotions known in infancy.

Feel good do good phenomenon

When something good happens to you, you are more likely to do nice things for others

Opponent Process theory

every initial emotional reaction triggers an opposing emotion that diminishes the intensity of the initial emotional reaction. As one emotion pulls away, the opposite sets in.

Motivation

Something that directs a behavior.

Instincts

behaviors that occur unconsciously because they usually just "feel right."

Incentives

drive us toward or away from the behavior we want. The incentive could either be a positive stimulus or a negative stimulus, but either way, it impacts our behavior

Intrinsic motivation

when you are doing something for yourself.

Extrinsic motivation

when you are doing something for an external factor. (Having intrinsic motivation is stronger and drives you farther since it is something you, yourself, are genuinely interested in.)

Overjustification effect

when an external factor decreases one's intrinsic motivation to complete a certain task. For example, if you began to learn French on your own time and then came across a really good job offer that requires French, you may now begin to learn French just for the job, rather than yourself

Achievement motivation

A theory that states our desires to master complex stuff and reach personal goals is our motivation. So even without skills, benefits or knowledge, we are motivated to challenge ourselves.

Self-Efficacy

Belief in whether you can or cannot complete a task. There is high self-efficacy and low self-efficacy

High self-efficacy

the belief that someone can complete a task successfully. This usually goes hand in hand with high intrinsic motivation and accepting challenges along the way.

Low self-efficacy

being uncertain that you can master a task and goes hand in hand with low intrinsic motivation. You don't feel as interested in learning the task, so you are unsure if you will be good at it. Having low self-efficacy leads to giving up and avoiding obstacles.

Instinct Theory (evolutionary)

Based on Charles Darwin's principle of natural selection (those that are best adapted to their environments are most likely to mate and survive.) The motivation in this theory is to survive and we, as well as animals, adapt behaviors that help us live. Though it helps explain our ancestral past, it best explains animal behaviors rather than human behaviors. (ex. All babies display innate reflexes like rooting and sucking)

Drive-reduction Theory (biological)

This theory focuses on how our inner pushes and external pulls interact to drive our behaviors. By doing the behavior, we reach homeostasis (steady internal state). (ex. When you need food, you become hungry, and then you cook yourself something to make the feeling of hunger go away.) Explains motivation to reduce arousal by meeting basic needs. Doesn't explain while some motivated behaviors increase arousal. (Need -> Drive -> Drive-reducing behavior)

Push Factors (Drive-reduction)

Motivate us to get away from bad things

Pull Factors (Drive-reduction)

Motivate us to work toward good things. Physiological needs create a tensional state that motivates an organism to satisfy that need by doing a certain behavior.

Optimal Arousal Theory

Finding the right level of stimulation. An organism tries to find behaviors that actually increase arousal because everything else bores them. Though it explains that motivated behavior can increase or decrease arousal, it doesn't explain more complex needs.

Yerkes-Dodson law

moderate arousal can lead to optimal performance. (ex. If you were ever way too relaxed when taking an exam or way too stressed, I bet you noticed a decrease in your exam performance. However, if you are moderately aroused so that you are aware and alert, you will obtain a higher score.)

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

First levels start off with meeting basic and physiological needs. Then it moves on to meeting cognitive and abstract needs. You cannot meet the needs of one level unless those of all the levels below it are met. (Main criticism is that it is western-centric)

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs list

(bottom to top) Physiological needs (satisfy hunger and thirst), Safety needs (feeling that the world is organized and predictable, feel safe, secure, and stable), Belongingness and love Needs (feel loved, feel accepted, avoid loneliness and separation), Esteem Needs (feel achievement, independence, recognition and respect from others), Self- actualization (living to fullest and unique potential), Self transcendence (find meaning and identity beyond self)

Hunger Motivation

Hypothalamus controls body chem. So when you are hungry, your lateral hypothalamus activates. When you feel satisfied from eating, your ventromedial hypothalamus activates causing you to stop eating.

Set-point theory

Hypothalamus wants to maintain a certain body weight, so when your weight drops it will tell you to eat more and lowers metabolic rate.

Garcia effect

There are certain foods that make you more hungry

Glucose

Form of sugar that circulates in the blood. Major energy source for the body tissues. When the level is low, we become hungry.

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Resting rate of energy expenditure/calorie burning while at rest.

Appetite Hormones

Ghrelin, Insulin, Leptin, Orexin, PYY

Ghrelin

Hunger hormone

Insulin

Hormone by the pancreas to control blood glucose

Leptin

Decrease hunger, increase metabolism

PYY

Digestive tract hormone

Unit Bias

Bigger plates make people eat more

Food Variety

More than one type of food gives more hunger

Sexual desire

comes from psychological factors too. Elevation in levels of hormones or erotic material are good examples.

Physical sexual response cycle

Initial excitement, plateau phase, orgasm, resolution phase

initial excitement

respiration and heart rate increase

plateau phase

respiration and heart rate continue at an elevated rate

Orgasm

rhythmic genital contractions, euphoria

resolution phase

respiration and heart rate return to normal. Men go into refractory period

Refractory Period

Resting period after orgasm, men cannot achieve another orgasm

Asexual

No sexual attraction to others

Sex Hormones

Testosterone (male) and Estrogen (female)

Sexual Dysfunction

Impaired sexual arousal

Erectile disorder

Inability to develop or maintain an erection due to insufficient blood flow to the penis

Female orgasmic disorder

Distress due to infrequently or never experiencing orgasm

Paraphilias

Sexual arousal from fantasies, behaviors, or urges from non-human objects, suffering of self and others, or nonconsenting persons.

External Stimuli

Visual, auditory, and physical sensations (neg. Effects include rape acceptance, devaluing people, diminished satisfaction)

Imagined Stimuli

Imagination influences sexual desires. Even those missing lower sensation feel sexual desire. Men fantasize more physically and sexually than romantically.

Fraternal birth-order effect

A function of how likely you are to be gay as a function of the # of older siblings.

Affiliation need

The need to build relationships and to feel part of a group

Ostracism

Deliberate social exclusion of individuals or groups.

Narcissism

Excessive self-love and self-absorption.

Grit

Passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals.

Kinds of reactions to stress

Physical or emotional

Stressors

Events that cause stress

Three categories of stressors

Frustrations, Conflict, Anxiety (stressors can be multiple categories)

Frustrations

Anything that prevents you from accomplishing things

Conflict

Choice between goals or actions that are incompatible with each other

Anxiety

Vague, generalized feeling of apprehension or nervousness.

Long term stressors

Stressors that happen over a course of time, a continuous thing (ex. Always having homework)

Short term stressors

Stressors that happen over a short course of time. Cannon thinks that humans were only built for short term stressors.

Three Main stressors

Catastrophes, Significant life changes, Daily hassles

Locus of Control/Explanatory power

Higher degree of control, less stess

Fight or Flight response

A response to stress, involves the sympathetic nervous system and arouses us.

General Adaptation Syndrome

Alarm (body begins to release cortisol and stress hormones), Resistance (continues to do so to cope), Exhaustion (someone gets sick, resources are depleted)

Two main ways of dealing with stress

Isolation/withdrawing from society or Tend and befriend response

Tend and Befriend response

communicating with others and supporting others. Women often do this and like to bond because of high oxytocin levels. Men usually respond more aggressively to stress.

Lewin's Motivation Conflict Theory

(Fight or flight but more complex). 4 different ways people address the stress causing conflict. Approach-approach, Avoidance-avoidance, approach-avoidance, and Multiple approach-avoidance conflict

Approach-approach conflict

when you have to pick between two desirable outcomes.

Avoidance-avoidance conflict

when you have to pick between two undesirable outcomes .

Approach-avoidance conflict

when one event or goal has both an attractive and undesirable outcome.

Multiple approach-avoidance conflict

must choose between two or more things that have both attractive and undesirable outcomes.

Stress related illnesses (aka psychophysiological illness)

Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lung disease

Cortisol

Stress hormone, small amounts give benefits, prolonged exposure causes health problems

Unhealthy behaviors

Smoking, drinking, consuming drugs

Coping

Alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods

Problem-focused coping

Attempting to alleviate stress directly-- by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor. Focusing on the problem - you meet the challenge

Emotion-focused coping

Attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction. You usually can't solve the problem.

Learned Helplessness

The hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or human learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events. A lack of perceived control

External locus of control

Perception that chance or outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate.

Internal locus of control

The perception that we control our fate. Changing day-to-day life increases baseline