Psyc 111 Quiz 3-1

What are emotions?

- subjective experience

- expression

- physiological response

- cognitive appraisal

emotion

- shorter in duration

- relatively intense

- in response to stimuli

mood

- prolonged

- less intense

- not as clearly linked to stimuli

Early emotions

- Joy

- fleeting smiles (first month)

- social smiles (~ 6-7 weeks)

- Distress

- Disgust

- Interest

Later emotions

- Fear

- Anger

- Surprise

- Sadness

Self-conscious

(18~24 months of age)

- Embarrassment

- Pride

- Guilt

- Shame

Emotion regulation - General developmental trends

- Infancy: external regulation by caregivers

- Early childhood: gradual self-regulation

- Middle childhood & adolescence: more advanced cognitive control of emotion

Theories of emotion

Cognitive theories of emotion (think -> feel)

-> how does emotion happen

- James-Lange Theory of Emotion

- Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

- Two-factor Theory of Emotion

Discrete emotions theory

-> what emotions are there D

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

- suggest that emotions come from physiological arousal

e.g. person sees a spider -> begins to shake -> interprets shaking as fear

Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

- when you experience something emotional, your feeling of emotion & physical response happen simultaneously, not one after the other

e.g. person sees a spider -> begins to shake & experiences fear

Schachter-Singer two-factor Theory of Emotion

emotion is determined by physiological arousal and cognitive labeling (body reacts first, but emotion is decided by how you interpret and feel by your body reacting)

e.g. person sees a spider -> undifferentiated state of arousal -> attributed arousal to spider -> experiences fear

Dutton & Aron (1974)

Example of two-factor theory:

- attractive female research assistant

- provided her phone number

- on one of two bridges:

- wobbly suspension bridge / solid wooden bridge

- ppl on wobbly suspension bridge was more likely to call & wrote more romantic and sexual stories about the picture

Unconscious influences

emotions & preferences are not always fully conscious or deliberate

- Mere exposure effect

- the more often you see something, the more likely you are to like it

- Face & shape

- even when something has no strong meaning, just seeing it repeatedly can make it more familiar & more pleasant

Discrete emotions theory

theory that humans experience a small number of distinct emotions that are rooted in their biology (evolutionary basis)

Evidence for evolutionary basis

- some emotions emerge early

- emotion is adaptive if it helps with survival or reproduction

- similarities with nonhuman animals

Are emotions universal? - Ekman's research in New Guinea

- 7 primary emotions: happiness, surprise, sadness, fright, disgust, contempt, anger (recognizable across cultures)

- combine to form secondary emotions

Display rules

cross-cultural guidelines for how and when to express emotions

-> do not influence emotion itself, but instead its overt expression

Distinctive facial expressions & Physiological responses

- different emotions are thought to have their own recognizable facial expressions.

- Different emotions are associated with bodily reactions, such as changes in heart rate, breathing, or muscle tension.

Criticisms for universality of emotions

People do not always express emotions in the stereotypical facial or bodily way expected by theory.

Theory of constructed emotion

emotions are not fixed, automatic packages that your brain simply “detects.” Instead, your brain constructs emotions using several ingredients

- context

- experience

- our current state

3 principles of Interpersonal attraction

- Proximity

- police trainee study

- mirror exposure effect

- Similarity: having things in common

- Reciprocity: give and take

Motivation

- Psychological drives that propel us in a specific direction

Drive Reduction Theory

motivate to minimize aversive states, reduce discomfort, maintain homeostasis

e.g. act to remove hunger, thirst, etc.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

there is an optimal level of arousal for best performance

-> too little or too much arousal = worse performance

Incentive Theory + Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic

- Behavior is motivated by rewards (incentives)

-> Intrinsic: from within (autonomy, mastery, purpose)

-> Extrinsic: from outside (reward, punishment, compensation)

Primary vs. Secondary needs & Maslow's hierarchy

- Primary: biological (food, water)

- Secondary: psychological (achievement, autonomy, affiliation)

- Maslow: needs are hierarchical -> basic -> psychological -> self-fulfillment

Achievement Motivation (classroom)

Intrinsic: interest, personal goals, relevance

Extrinsic: grades, professor, expectations, rewards

Types of engagement

- Behavioral: participation

- Cognitive: thinking, effort

- Emotional: interest, feelings

Theories of Academic Motivation & Engagement

- Expectancy-Value theory

- Self-determination theory

- Individual differences in achievement motivation

Expectancy-value theory

motivation = expect success + value the task

- task value:

- attainment: important to me

- intrinsic: I enjoy it

- utility: useful for goals

Self-determination theory

intrinsic motivation comes from 3 needs:

- autonomy: control

- competence: ability

- relatedness: connection

Individual Differences (Grit & Self-Control)

- self-control: resisting short-term temptations

- grit: persistence toward long-term goals

Are humans good at lie detection?

No - accuracy is low; we are not particularly good

Polygraph & Pinocchio Response

- Measures physiological signals (anxiety) -> "Pinocchio response"

-> detects arousal, not lying directly

- Accuracy: ~ 70-85%, but high false positives (~65% innocent mislabeled)

Control Question Test

Compare responses to:

- Relevant (crime-related)

- Control (past, similar misbehavior, broad)

- Irrelevant (neutral)

-> relevant > control - deception

-> control > relevant - truthful

-> similar - inconclusive

Issues:

- false positives

- false negatives

- irrelevant questions can distort results

- can be manipulated (countermeasures)

Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT)

measures recognition of concealed crime details

- low false positives (good for innocent people)

- higher false negatives (misses some liars)

What is happiness?

a person's subjective life satisfaction

Why study happiness?

- people value it highly

- it is widely researched and important

Measuring happiness

Self-report scales (e.g., satisfaction with life scale)

Rate 1~7 (strongly disagree -> strongly agree)

Items include:

- life close to ideal

- conditions excellent

- satisfied with life

- achieved important goals

- would change almost nothing

Correlates of Happiness

- longevity

- positive social relationships

- flow

Nun Study showing happiness

Sister 1: fact-based

Sister 2: more emotional and feeling related words (positive emotion words) 

Positive emotion → 87 of age (¼ of highest lived until 94 yrs old)

- more positive emotional expression early in life -> longer lifespan (e.g., lived into late 80s~90s)

Flow

- state of optimal experience in which one engages in activities simply for the sake of the activity itself:

- full concentration

- activity done for its own sake

- reduced awareness of surroundings

Are we good at predicting our future happiness? - Affective Forecasting

No - we tend to overestimate emotional impact

-> durability bias: overestimate how long emotions will last

-> hedonic treadmill: adapt to life changes - return to baseline happiness

Increasing Happiness (Positive Activities)

- through intentional positive activities (e.g. kindness, gratitude)

Positive Activity Model - Lyubomirsky & Layous (2013)

How positive activities:

- increase well-being

- work best under certain conditions

- operate through need satisfaction (fulfillment of essential psychological needs which fosters optimal functioning, motivation, and mental well-being)

Examples of Positive Activities

- Five acts of kindness

- gratitude letter