Studied by 0 people
Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
Emotion
A feeling that differs from a person’s normal/BASELINE affective state; a deviation
A BIOLOGICAL FUNCTION of the nervous system (ingrained); ancient/old; has an evolutionary advantage
The Three Central Attributes of an Emotion
1) A change in physiological arousal/response
ranges from slight —> intense
indicative of a sympathetic nervous system response
IMPORTANT NOTE: can have a pleasurable experience that gives the same level of arousal as a negative response —> therefore has to be MORE for us to know the difference
2) Affective response (feeling), which may be pleasant OR unpleasant
3) The capacity to motivate a specific behavior (a behavioral response)
emotions are important b/c they motivate us to do things that typically promote our survival ; positive emotion/feeling —> motivates more of the behavior
James-Lange Theory
A theory of emotion proposing that physiological arousal precedes the emotional experience; feelings are a result of interpreting bodily responses. Physiological change happens in response to an event —> emotion is a result of the brain interpreting the physiological response/change
Main Critique of James-Lange Theory
MANY EMOTIONS CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SAME PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE
therefore it’s not safe to assume that every time you experience physiological arousal it’s threatening
1 to 1 does not always work!!
Cannon-Bard Theory
A theory where the stimulus/event activates the thalamus (processes the sensory information), which simultaneously activates the feeling component / emotion experience (cerebral cortex) & the physiological response/expression of the emotion via stimulating the rest of the body (brainstem)
Pro & Main Critique of the Cannon-Bard Theory
It solves the problem of the James-Lange Theory:
no longer has the physiological response lead to the response; this proposes them both occurring simultaneously
Main critique:
Physiological responses affect how we experience emotion!! —> therefore there has to be a way for the two to talk to each other; here they are treated as occurring simultaneously but separate
Schachter’s Cognitive Model / Schachter-Singer Two Factor Theory
The brain associates an experienced physiological arousal with a CONTEXT —> negative or positive (attribution) —> experienced feeling is the result
THIS IS BETTER ALIGNED WITH MODERN-DAY NEUROSCIENCE
Primary Emotions (by Antonio Damasio)
innate, core emotions, built-in, hardwired
processed by the LIMBIC SYSTEM —> particularly the amygdala
quick emotions, don’t require much thinking, we share some of these with other species
EXAMPLE: FEAR
Secondary Emotions (by Antonio Damasio)
The experience of an emotion, the feeling of it, LEARNING IS INVOLVED
processed by the LIMBIC SYSTEM, PREFRONTAL AREAS, and SOMATOSENSORY CORTICIES
more complex ; components of this are primary emotions
ex) GUILT, ANXIETY
The Papez Circuit (1937) & the Limbic System
Interconnected forebrain structures that mediate emotional expression and experience
NOTE: MISSING THE AMYGDALA —> because in the 1930s the amygdala (a crucial part of the limbic system; associated with fear) was NOT WELL KNOWN
