Emotions Unit 3 Exam

What is jealousy? Provide a definition and review one theoretical account of jealousy.

Jealousy when an important real or potential relationship is threatened by another individual or “object” (e.g. time at work). The ‘Evolutionary theory of jealousy’ claims that jealousy exists to make sure our offspring are adequately cared for.

How do guilt and shame differ from one another? Review three specific differences.

Guilt is a one-time evaluation of the self based on specific behaviors, while shame is an evaluation of the whole self based on a single instance. Guilt results in compensatory behaviors to try to better oneself, while shame results in withdrawal behaviors because of the intensity of the emotion.

How do pride and hubris differ from one another? Review three specific differences.

Pride is pleasure from a job well done while hubris implies a sense of arrogance. Pride causes heightened feelings of motivation while hubris increases tendencies of aggression and hostility. Pride increases prosocial bonding while hubris heightens risk of conflict in relationships.

What are moral emotions and what are the two prototypical features of moral emotions? What is considered to be the “most” moral emotion and why?

Moral emotions are emotions linked to the interest or welfare of society as a whole or at least persons other than the person themselves.

The two prototypical features of moral emotions are disinterested elicitors, where the cause of emotion is outside of the self, and prosocial action tendences, which refers to a feeling that motivates someone to help others.

The most moral emotion is elevation, which is often elicited by witnessing humanity’s higher nature, because it can motivate someone to become a better person.

What is find-remind-and-bind theory? Define this theory and contrast it—in general—with previous theories about gratitude.

Gratitude is more than just give and take; it helps us find high quality interaction partners, reminds us about the good in a partner, and motivates us to bind closer and invest in a relationship. This theory is different from other theories on gratitude because it focuses on the interpersonal benefits instead of benefits to oneself, like the ‘Three moral functions of gratitude’, moral barometer, moral motivator, and moral reinforcer.

What is emotional mimicry and what are two benefits of emotional mimicry?

Emotional mimicry is a largely automatic process that occurs when two people show similar nonverbal displays of emotions happening at roughly the same time. It aids in emotion recognition and facilitates similarity which increases liking.

What is emotional contagion and what are two benefits of emotional contagion?

Emotional contagion is the spread of emotions though a network of people. It facilitates behavioral synchrony in relationships and increases understanding of others’ feelings with minimal effort.

What are intergroup emotions? What is intergroup emotion theory (IET)?

Intergroup emotions are emotions that are felt by individuals as the result of their membership in a certain group or society. Intergroup Emotion Theory is the theory that when someone is firmly a member of a group, they begin to view and appraise the world through the lens of that group, and therefore group members tend to be similar in their emotional responses.

Identify and describe two ways in which emotion regulation can be used to promote conflict resolution between groups.

Directly, people in groups can learn cognitive reappraisal skills that increase their experiences of positive emotions and decrease their experiences of negative emotions.

Indirectly, groups can promote a growth mindset which can reduce intergroup anxiety and promote communication with out-group members.

What is the sociodynamic model of emotions and how does this model of emotion differ from a more Western definition of emotion?  Be specific in your answer.

The sociodynamic model of emotions says that emotions emerge from social interactions and relationships which in turn constitute, shape, and change the emotional experience. This model is different from a more Western definition of emotion because it highlights the importance of emotions existing between people for relational purposes instead of emotions existing within one person to serve the self.

What is affect valuation theory? In your answer, review the two specific predictions of affect valuation theory and then briefly describe what cultural differences exist in terms of ideal affect

Affect valuation theory states that although affect seems different between cultures, that is mostly due to the perception of ideal affect instead of the actual affect experienced. Further, regardless of culture, temperament is a better predictor of experienced affect than ideal affect is. More Western cultures value high-arousal positive emotions, while more Eastern cultures value more low-arousal positive emotions.

In general, how does information processing in a positive emotional or affective state differ from information processing in a negative emotional or affective state? Then, review two explanations that have been offered as to why positive emotions/affect can impair thought processes and two explanations that have been offered as to why positive emotions/affect can facilitate thought processes. Include at least one piece of empirical evidence (i.e., research study) in your answer.

Positive emotions broaden our thought repertoire, while negative emotions narrow our though repertoire to focus on something that could be harmful.

Negative:

• More reliant on heuristics

  • Cognitive decrement hypothesis (Mackie and Worth 1989)

    • Greater associative network for positively valanced information -> harder to sift through that information

• Increases likelihood of stereotypes

• More susceptible to persuasion

Positive:

• Positive emotions act as a buffer against negative emotions

• Positive emotions reduce the own-race bias

• Allows more flexible thinking and decision making

Identify and describe three empirically-supported gender differences in emotion. For each difference, provide one explanation for the existence of that difference. In your answer, review at least one empirical study to support your writing.

Emotional Experiences

• Self-reported emotional experiences (Barrett et al. 1998)

  • Gender differences emerge on trait self-report measures, but not on state self-report measures

  • Women reported that globally they felt openness to feelings, anxiety, sadness, and positive emotions

  • No significance gender difference in any moment-to-moment rating

Internalizers vs. Externalizers

• Internalizer: overtly non-expressive, but physiologically more reactive

• Externalizer: overtly expressive, but physiologically less reactive

Emotional Intelligence

• Women score higher on all four branches on emotional intelligence (and on all EQ measures)

• Motivation could also be a factor in this finding

  • Motivated men had scores that matched women without explicit motivation