understanding adaptive and maladaptive emotions midterm study guide frfr

Main approach to emotions - Evolutionary (Darwinian)

Emotions come from evolution.

Main approach to emotions - Physiological (Jamesian):

Emotions come from body reactions.

Main approach to emotions - Cognitive

Emotions come from thoughts.

Main approach to emotions - Social Constructivist:

Emotions come from culture.

Darwin’s contributions to emotion

• study of emotional expression in humans and animals

• use of evolution theory to understand emotional behavior

Evolutionary Approach

Emotions are built into us through evolution. They're natural, automatic, and help us survive.

Darwin’s Expression Studies

Looked at photos of faces and animal behavior to understand how emotions are shown.

Evolution and Emotion

• Animals have emotions too.

• Emotions are innate (we're born with them).

• Emotions help us adapt and survive.

Evidence for Evolutionary Theory

• Some things (like snakes or heights) trigger fear automatically.

• These fears helped our ancestors survive.

• People across cultures show the same facial expressions.

• Even some animals show similar emotional expressions.

Evolutionary Model Process

Event happens → Triggers a built-in emotional system in the brain.

Criticism of Evolutionary Approach

• Doesn’t explain complex emotions like guilt or awe.

• Not every emotion is about survival.

• Do animals really feel the same way we do?

Physiological Approach

Emotions start in the body. We feel emotions because we notice physical changes (like a fast heartbeat).

William James’ Theory (1884)

• Common view: Event → Emotion → Body reacts.

• James' view: Event → Body reacts → We feel the emotion.

James-Lange Theory

Emotion comes from our awareness of physical changes.

Example of Jamesian Order

See fire → Heart races → Feel fear

Unique Body Patterns

James believed each emotion has its own physical response (like posture or muscle changes).

Evidence: Body Affects Emotion

• Changing your facial muscles can change how you feel.

• Posture affects your mood too.

• Tools like “emBODY” show how different emotions feel in different body parts.

Cognitive Approach

Emotions come from how we think about events. Our beliefs and judgments shape what we feel.

Aristotle’s View (~330 BC)

Emotions are caused by our beliefs and how we see our relationships with others.

Modern Appraisal Theory (Arnold, 1960)

Emotions happen because we judge situations as good or bad.

Appraisal = Evaluation

It’s not the event, but how we interpret the event that creates emotion.

Example of Cognitive Appraisal

Friend cancels plans:

• If you think she’s mad at you → You feel sad or worried.

• If you think she’s just busy → You feel fine.

Steps in Cognitive Model

Event → Appraisal (thinking) → Feeling → Expression + Body response

Criticism of Cognitive Approach

• Some emotions happen too fast for thinking.

• We sometimes feel emotions without knowing why.

• Not all emotions need thoughts.

Social Constructivist Approach

Emotions are learned from culture. We feel and show emotions based on what our culture teaches us.

Happiness Across Cultures

Americans report more happiness than Japanese people, because U.S. culture values happiness and self-esteem more.

Social Constructivist Process

Event → Judgment based on cultural rules → Emotion

Criticism of Social Constructivist

• What about universal emotions like fear and joy?

• Can there really be unlimited emotions?

• Doesn’t match biological evidence for emotions.

Certain stimuli seem to elicit emotions in an automatic way.

True

Emotion?

A psychological state triggered by events related to our goals that motivates action.

5 Components of Emotion

1. Subjective feeling

2. Physiological changes

3. Expressive behavior (face, body, voice)

4. Action tendency

5. Cognitive appraisal

Examples of Action Tendencies

• Fear → Run away

• Anger → Confront

• Sadness → Withdraw

Modal Model of Emotion (Gross & Thompson, 2007)

Emotions start when we notice a situation that matters to our goals. Emotions involve changes in feelings, behavior, and body responses.

Emotion

Quick, specific reaction to something.

Feeling

Personal experience of an emotion.

Mood

Long-lasting, general feeling.

Two Ways to Classify Emotions

1. Discrete: Emotions are separate categories (e.g., anger, joy).

2. Dimensional: Emotions lie on scales (e.g., arousal and valence).

Discrete Approach (Ekman, 1992)

Six basic emotions: Happiness, Surprise, Fear, Sadness, Anger, Disgust (+ Contempt)

Dimensional Approach (Russell, 1980) - Emotions described by two scales:

1. Valence

1. (positive ↔ negative)

Dimensional Approach (Russell, 1980) - Emotions described by two scales:

1. Arousal (high ↔ low)

1. (high ↔ low)

Dimensional Approach – Strength

• Simple and useful for measuring and comparing emotions

• Helps map a wide range of emotions on a few basic scales (like arousal and valence)

Dimensional Approach – Weakness

• Too general; may miss unique features of specific emotions

• Some emotions don’t fit neatly into just two dimensions

5 Ways to Measure Emotions

1. Self-reports

2. Expressive behavior

3. Brain and body (physiology)

4. Overt behavior

5. Emotional language

Self-Reported Emotional Experience

Asking people how they feel using:

• Questionnaires

• EMA (real-time surveys)

• Narrative methods (writing stories or diaries)

Example of Discrete Self-Report Tool

Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

Example of Dimensional Self-Report Tool

Self-Assessment Manikin (measures arousal & valence)

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)

Definition: Reports collected in real life to avoid memory bias.

Narrative Methods

Definition: Emotional diaries or essays. Great context, hard to score.

Emotional Expressive Behavior

Definition: Facial and body expressions.
Examples:

• FACS: Facial Action Coding System

• SPAFF: Specific Affect Coding System

Brain and Body Responses (Physiology)

Using heart rate, sweating, etc. to measure emotions.

Pros of Physiological Measures

✔ Not affected by lying
✔ Shows unconscious emotions
✔ Links body and mental health

Cons of Physiological Measures

✘ Expensive
✘ Hard to interpret
✘ Doesn’t always match feelings

Is Physiology Emotion-Specific?

No single body response belongs to just one emotion (e.g., heart rate rises in anger, fear, AND joy).

Meta-Analysis (Siegel et al., 2018)

No one-to-one match between emotion and body response. But some patterns exist depending on context.

Overt Behavior

Observable actions like yelling, freezing, running, etc.

Emotional Language

Analyzing the words people use to express emotions (e.g., depressed people use more negative words).

Emotional Language Examples

• “I hate your stupid face.” (negative)

• “I love your pretty voice.” (positive)

Which is the Best Way to Measure Emotion?

No single best way. It depends on the goal of your study, how easy the method is, and what you want to learn.

Why study the brain for emotion?

The brain helps us understand how emotions are processed and expressed.

Main Brain Research Methods
Lesions:

Study what happens when brain areas are damaged

Main Brain Research Methods

• fMRI:

• Measures blood flow

Main Brain Research Methods
Definition:

PET:

Measures blood flow/metabolism (uses radioactive tracers)

Main Brain Research Methods
EEG:

Measures electrical activity

Which methods use radioactivity?

PET (Positron Emission Tomography)

Which methods measure electrical activity?

EEG (Electroencephalography)

Why is fMRI so popular?

• Good balance of time + space detail

• Non-invasive

• Widely used by researchers

What is the Limbic System?

A group of brain areas involved in emotion

Key parts of the Limbic System
Amygdala:

Emotion processing

Key parts of the Limbic System

• Hypothalamus

• Triggers fight/flight

Key parts of the Limbic System
Definition:

Thalamus

Sensory relay

Key parts of the Limbic System
Hippocampus

Links emotion and memory

Jaak Panksepp's 7 Emotional Systems

SEEKING, RAGE, FEAR, LUST, CARE, PANIC, PLAY

Role of Neurochemicals

Emotions are affected by chemicals like serotonin, norepinephrine, GABA, and oxytocin

What does oxytocin affect?

Maternal behavior, bonding, and romantic love

Oxytocin Study (Bartels & Zeki, 2004)

fMRI showed oxytocin-rich brain areas activate when people see photos of loved ones

What is the amygdala?

A core emotion-processing brain structure, especially for fear

Amygdala = Fear Center?

Not just for fear. Plays a role in many emotions and learning

Amygdala Pathway

1. Sensory info → BLA (Basolateral Amygdala)

2. BLA → CE (Central Nucleus)

3. CE → Body response (fight/flight via brainstem)

Amygdala Lesion in Animals

• Blocks both learned and instinctive fear

• Rats approach cats

• Monkeys lose fear of snakes

Amygdala Damage in Humans (Patient SM)

• Doesn’t feel fear

• Can’t recognize fear in others’ faces

• Doesn’t show fear in haunted houses or near snakes

Patient SM: Facial Expression Test

Couldn’t draw a fearful face and struggled to recognize fear in others

What is fear conditioning?

Learning to fear something through experience (e.g., pairing a tone with a shock)

Amygdala Damage in Fear Conditioning

• Can still remember the event (CS+ and shock)

• But no body response (no sweating)

Hippocampus Damage in Fear Conditioning

• Sweaty hands (fear response)

• But can't remember which thing caused the fear

Damage to Both Amygdala & Hippocampus

No memory of the fear AND no fear response

Major Brain Areas Involved in Emotion

Amygdala, Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc), Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC), Insula, Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC), Dorsomedial PFC

• Wanting

• : The drive or desire for a reward

• Liking

• The pleasure or enjoyment from receiving the reward; linked to opioid and cannabinoid systems in specific brain areas (like the nucleus accumbens)

Dopamine’s Role

Mainly involved in wanting, not liking; triggered by food, sex, drugs, money, etc.

Medial Forebrain Bundle (MFB)

Pathway from VTA to Nucleus Accumbens that carries dopamine; involved in reward-seeking

Self-Stimulation of the MFB (in rodents)

Rats press levers to stimulate MFB repeatedly—even over food or safety

Human MFB Stimulation Findings

Caused desire to continue stimulation and engage in sex—not actual pleasure or liking

Brain Circuit for Wanting

Mesolimbic dopamine system – includes VTA, NAcc, mPFC, OFC, ACC, caudate, and putamen

Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc)

Part of the ventral striatum; involved in both wanting and liking rewards

Hedonic Hotspots (Liking Zones)

Specific areas in the medial shell of NAcc that respond to opioids/cannabinoids and increase pleasure responses

Blocking Opioid Receptors

Reduces pleasure reactions and activation in VS/NAcc when viewing erotic pictures or pleasant tastes

Monetary Incentive Delay Task

Separates brain activity for reward anticipation (wanting) and reward delivery (liking)

Reward Brain Activation

• VS/NAcc: Activated during both wanting and liking

• OFC/vmPFC: Activated only during liking (reward outcome)

What does the OFC do?

Tracks emotional value of stimuli, based on context and goals

Brain Regions for Empathy

Anterior Insula and ACC – activated when responding to others’ emotions like fear, pain, or pleasure (Singer et al., 2004)