chapter 7 -Emotion and motivaation

Emotion

experience involving physiological, cognitive, and behavioral responses. Key dimensions:

• Valence (positive/negative)

• Arousal (high/low)Terrified: Negative valence, high arousal

• Relaxed: Positive valence, low arousal

• Excited: Positive valence, high arousal

• Tired: Negative valence, low arousal

Brain Structures in Emotion

• Amygdala: fast, threat detection (primitive)

• Prefrontal Cortex: slower, reasoning (advanced)

Purpose of Emotion

• Aid survival and communication

• Example: fear = widened eyes → more sensory input

Universality Hypothesis (darwin)

Facial expressions are evolved and mostly universal

cuz…

• Blind individuals show same expressions

• 2-day-old infants show disgust

• Isolated cultures recognize Western emotions

Criticism of Universality Hypothesis

• Cultures use eye cues differently

• Studies may have confirmation bias

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

• Facial expressions influence emotional state

• Evidence: smiling during a story → increased happiness

• Expression can reinforce or amplify emotion

Deceptive Emotional Expressions Reasons: Social expectations, politeness, manipulation Strategies: (4)

• Intensification: exaggerate emotion

• Deintensification: downplay emotion

• Masking: replace emotion

• Neutralizing: hide all emotion (poker face)

Detecting Fake Emotions Clues:

• Morphology: some facial muscles can't be faked

• Symmetry: real = symmetrical

• Duration: 0.5–5s = real

• Temporal patterning: gradual start/end = real

Emotional Regulation & Development

• Deciding when/how to show emotion

• Infants: Parents help regulate → Self-regulate (~6 months)

• Adults: Use:

  • Distraction

  • Suppression

  • Affect labeling

  • Cognitive reappraisal (most effective)

Motivation

• Psychological cause of action, driven by emotion

• Tied to hedonic principle: maximize pleasure, minimize pain

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Must fulfill lower before higher:

1. Physiological (food, water)

2. Safety

3. Belonging

4. Esteem

5. Self-actualization (personal goals)

Types of Motivation (3 Dimensions)

1. Intrinsic (for self) vs Extrinsic (for others)

2. Conscious vs Unconscious

3. Approach vs Avoidance (avoidance = stronger)

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

• Perceive stimulus: You see or experience something (e.g., a bear).

• Express emotion physically: Your body reacts first—heart races, you tremble.

• Identify the emotion: Then you feel afraid because you notice those physical changes.
  → Emotion follows the body’s reaction

Cannon-Bard Thalamic Theory

• Perceive stimulus: You see the bear.

• Emotion expression & identification happen simultaneously: You feel fear and your body reacts at the same time.

• Thalamus mediates emotional response: The thalamus quickly sends signals to both the body and the brain’s emotion centers.
  → Emotion and body response happen together, not one after the other.

Pheromones

Chemical signals that influence reproductive behavior.

• Women: Trigger attraction, desire, fantasies

• Men: Feel more attractive, find women more attractive

Coolidge Effect

Sexual response to a familiar partner declines (habituation), but returns with a new partner (dishabituation).
🔹 Increases mating opportunities, especially in males

Mate Poaching

Attracting someone who’s already in a relationship.

• Jealousy may have evolved to protect against this

• Men: More upset by sexual infidelity

• Women (hetero & lesbian) & gay men: More upset by emotional infidelity

Rivalry Sensitivity Hypothesis

• Women: Monitor the rival for signs of threat

• Men: Monitor their partner for signs of infidelity

Hedonic Principle

Humans are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

• Even unpleasant tasks are done in service of a pleasurable outcome

Ostracism

Exclusion from a group (e.g., freeloaders, ill individuals)
Causes emotional pain, sadness, and anger

Cognitive Reappraisal

changing the way you think about a situation to alter emotional impact.

• Example: Viewing disliked food from perspective of people who have no food.