Emotion & Motivation

emotions definition

short-term feelings we have; often corresponding to particular facial expressions and physiological changes

mood

longer-lasting, less intense states that are not affected by a specific object or event

two dimensions of emotion

1. valence (positive or negative)

2. psychological arousal (severity: high or low) - how intense are we feeling this emotion?

amygdala

relatively primitive part of limbic system that quickly processes biologically relevant information (speedy low road)

prefrontal cortex

relatively advanced part of brain that slowly processes information rationally (thinking high road)

two major neural structures related to emotion

1. amygdala

2. prefrontal cortex

functions of emotions

• elicit hormonal and physiological responses (fight or flight)

• motivation

• communication

• store and evaluate memories

• social bonding

• perseverance

Charles Drawn (of evolutionary fame)

proposed that facial expressions are evolved and therefore universal in human population (universal hypothesis)

The Universal Hypothesis (Charles Darwin)

believed that facial gestures evolved in order to aid in survival

universal hypothesis support

• people with visual impairments smile similarly to people without

• 2-day old infants make disgusted faces similar to adults

• isolates cultures evaluate Westerner’s faces the same way Westerners do

universal hypothesis arguments

• different use of eye expression across cultures

• studies suffer from confirmation bias

confirmation bias

when evaluating hypothesis - you’re looking to support your hypothesis

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

1. perceive stimulus in environment

2. express emotion (specific physical responses)

3. acknowledge/identify emotion (subjective feeling)

Cannon-Bard Thalamic Theory of Emotion

1. perceive stimulus in environment

2. express emotion AND acknowledge it

3. thalamus mediates emotion

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

emotional facial expressions can cause/change an individual’s emotional experience

intensification (emotional deception)

intensifying emotion you’re experiencing

de-intensification (emotional deception)

lessening your emotion

masking (emotional deception)

switching emotions from one to another

neutralizing (emotional deception)

trying not to show any emotions (neutral face)

morphology (identifying emotional deception)

certain facial muscles are resistant to conscious change (reliable muscles)

symmetry (identifying emotional deception)

asymmetrical facial gestures are often insincere

duration (identifying emotional deception)

sincere facial gestures last between 0.5-5 secs

temporal patterning (identifying emotional deception)

micro expressions appear first and are sincere

• sincere facial gestures appear suddenly and disappear gradually

emotional regulation involves

instinctive and learned strategies

emotional regulation: first 6 months

• most regulation comes from parents (comforting)

• some basic gaze aversion occurs

emotional regulation: after 6 months

more learned regulation appears

• self-soothing (sucking thumb/pacifier)

• increased gaze aversion

• locomotion (moving away from negative stimuli)

distraction (emotional regulation strategy)

engaging in a behaviour change (eating, exercising, music, social interacting)

suppression (emotional regulation strategy)

cognitively not thinking about it

affect labelling (emotional regulation strategy)

labelling the emotion you’re experiencing so you can deal with it

re-appraisal (emotional regulation strategy)

changing the way one thinks about the emotion-inducing stimulus

good genes hypothesis

model of sexual selection that claims mate preferences for particular traits have evolved because these traits are reliable indicators of overall health and other “good” genetic traits

heterosexual women select mates according to

the good genes hypothesis

• more aggressive, masculine men during ovulation

• more stable men on lower fertility days

heterosexual men select mates according to

reproductive value - prefer higher hip-to-waist ratio (signals fertility)

phermones

chemical signals that indicate reproductive status of potential partner (we unconsciously smell them)

function of smelling pheromones for women

can create more sexual desire for partners, sexual fantasies, or attraction to target scent

function of smelling pheromones for men

rate themselves as more sexually desirable and find women’s faces more attractive

habituation

occurs when response to a repeated stimulus diminishes

dishabituation

if a new stimulus is introduced immediately before the old stimulus or the context changes, then response returns

The Coolidge Effect

occurs when sexual response to the same partner diminishes

• if new partner is introduced, then sexual response returns

mate poaching

stealing an individual who is already in a monogamous relationship

rivalry sensitivity hypothesis

• women will pay attention to the other woman for cues of infidelity

• men will pay attention to his partner for cues of infidelity

motivation

psychological reason for producing an action

• primarily driven by emotion

hedonic principle

all motivation extends from attraction to pleasure and avoidance of pain

Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy

1. Physiological Needs (food & sex) - also called drives

2. safety and security needs

3. belongingness and love needs

4. esteem needs

5. need for self-actualization

ostracism

exclusion of a group member who is ill, freeloading, or doesn’t contribute

Baumeister and Leary’s need to belong

• need to form close, strong, and lasting interpersonal relationships for own well-being

• having meaningful social bonds is a basic need to maintain emotional and physical health

3 psychological dimensions of human motivation

1. intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

2. conscious vs unconscious

3. approach vs avoidance

intrinsic motivation

a motivation to take actions that are themselves rewarding (eating ice cream, listening to music)

extrinsic motivation

a motivation to take actions that (eventually) lead to a separate reward (studying, working)

approach motivation

motivation to experience a positive outcome

avoidance motivation

motivation to NOT experience a negative outcome

Yerkes-Dodson law

a description of the relationships among task complexity, arousal, and performance

somatovisceral afference model of emotion (SAME)

a model of emotion in which a range of physical sensations from precise to general requires varying degrees of cognitive processing prior to subjective feelings

insula

regions of cortex located at the junction of the frontal and temporal lobes

Schachter-Singer two-factor theory

1. perceive stimulus

2. general arousal (not specific physical states)

3. assessment of surroundings

4. identify subjective feeling

appraisals

the detection and assessment of stimuli that are relevant to personal well-being

display rules

a cultural norm that specifies when, where, and how a person should express an emotion

drive

a state of tension and arousal triggered by cues important for survival

set points

a value that is defended to maintain homeostasis

incentives

a reward that pulls an organism’s behaviour in a particular direction

homeostasis

a steady internal balance, or equilibrium

drive reduction

the state of relief and reward produced by removing the tension and arousal of the drive state

achievement motivation

a desire to excel or outperform others

affiliation

being associated with other people

glucose

a type of sugar that plays an important role in hunger levels

bulimia nervosa

an eating disorder characterized by bingeing, purging, and having feelings of depression, disgust, and lost control

body mass index (BMI)

a height-to-weight ratio used to identify healthy weight, underweight, overweight, and obesity

leptin

a hormone secreted by fat cells that helps the body maintain an appropriate level of stored fat

anorexia nervosa

an eating disorder characterized by the maintenance of unusally low body weight and a distorted body image

satiety

a sense of feeling full and not requiring further food

binge-eating disorder

an eating disorder characterized by eating abnormally large amounts of food at one sitting and feeling that eating is out of control, without compensatory behaviours such an induced vomiting or use of laxatives

self-actualization

a state of having fulfilled your potential

estrogen

the primary female sex hormone

testosterone

the primary male hormone