Exam Review - Emotions and Stress

What is the locationist definition of emotion?

Emotions are distinct psychological states, each triggered by external stimuli or situations, that rapidly organize and coordinate a complex, multi-level response to that stimulus. Each basic emotion corresponds to a specific brain region or set of regions.

What is the process of how emotions organize a coordinated response (according to locationist theorists)

The stimulus/environment triggers the body to first go through an appraisal and recognition to identify what emotional response is needed. Then triggers that emotion which targets a specific physiological process like facial expressions or running away.

According to locationist, what is the purpose of emotions?

Emotions are solutions to persistent problems faced by organisms i their environments and thus promote survival. I.E. Fear triggered by a threatening situation can promote avoidance or defense.

What lobe is the amygdala located in?

The temporal lobe.

What is the role of the amygdala?

The amygdala produces feelings of fear and plays a key role in emotional processing. Its highly similar between humans and other mammals.

What happens after the amygdala is removed in aa monkey?

Kluver-Bucy Syndrome — Reduced fear and aggression, and strange food consumption behavior.

What makes Patient SM unique?

She has a rare disease that destroyed her amygdala, she has a limited fear/startle response and is overly trusting.

What is the relationship regarding threatening stimuli and its pathways to arrival for the amygdala?

Emotional significance of simple stimuli can be processed without the cortex (low road from thalamus), while complex stimuli require cortical processing (high road). Think loud noise versus scary movie scene.

What is the constructionist definition of emotion?

Emotions are NOT elemental psychological states, but instead a mix of other, more fundamental psychological components, including core affect.

How is core affect involved in emotion?

Core affect combines with other psychological processes to result in emotion. emotions are not discrete and do not live in specific parts of the brain tasked with creating them.

Evidence for the Constructionist Approach: What regions tend to be active in fMRI studies of any emotion?

The amygdala, insula, IOFC, and pACC

What causes a disorder called abulia?

Damage to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)

What is abulia?

a powerful kind of apathy that leaves the individual incapable of basic decisions

What did Darwin argue about primate facial expressions?

He believed that all humans (and even other primates) will produce the same of similar facial expressions in response to a core group of emotions.

In the cross cultural agreement about facial expressions, which groups do not share this same consensus?

There is more agreement among people from industrialized societies around the world than in relatively small-scale, isolated societies.

What two categories control facial muscles?

Superficial facial muscles and Deep facial muscles

What are superficial facial muscles?

Subtle movements in the skin of the face (Such as wrinkling your nose)

What are deep facial muscles?

Create larger movements (such as opening your mouth.

What two cranial nerves control facial muscles?

The facial nerve and the trigeminal nerve

What are the units called that facial expressions can be broken down into?

Action Units

What are commonly known action units?

the zygomatic major — pulls the corner of the lips outward when you smile (action unit 12)

the orbicular ocelli muscle — raises the top of the cheek and crinkles the skin around the eye (action unit 6)

What is stress?

The physiological response to aversive or threatening stimuli

What regulates the hormonal component of stress?

Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA axis)

Why does stress activate cortisol?

HPA controls release of cortisone from the adrenal gland 9on top of the kidneys). Cortisol is a metabolic hormone that will increase glucose levels in the blood by facilitating the process by which it is converted from stored to usable forms.

This is important because we need energy to be available in emergencies

Where is information about environmental threats sent to?

To the amygdala, which sees the info to the hypothalamus which causes neurosecretory cells to release corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) into the portal view. Which travels to the pituitary gland, where the release of adrenocorticotrpic hormone (ACTH) into the blood stream, which travels to there adrenal gland and stimulates cortisol release.

what divisions on the nervous system does stress activate?

The Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight), therefore, inhibiting the parasympathetic nervous system (Rest and Digest)

What is acute stress?

Short term solution. An emergency — getting energy where it needs to go in response, and then turning back off when emergency is over.

What is chronic stress?

Overactivation of stress, persistent activation of the HPA axis, can cause harmful effects.

How do the master and yoke compare to one another post-experiment?

Yokes showed signs of learned helplessness.

What part of the brain is activated by control over stressors?

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)

What is the outcome of activation in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)?

Inhbits activity in regions like the amygdala and thus dial down the stress response