Unit 7 - Emotion

emotion

emotion

response of the whole organism, involving…

1) physiological arousal

2) expressive behaviors

3) conscious experience

James - Lange theory

• physiological arousal then emotion (teeth chattering, heart racing, etc.)

cannon- bard theory

physiological arousal and emotion happen simultaneously

heart starts racing and you feel afraid at the same time

• you need to feel afraid as fast as possible

two factor theory

• physiological arousal and cognitive label= emotion

• physiological arousal- heart racing

• cognitive label- realize your heart is racing so you’re scared

• emotion= feel afraid

stanley schachter

created 2 factor theory

robert zajonc

• argues that our emotional reactions can be quicker than our interpretations of a situation

• we feel before we think

Paul Ekman

came up w/an experiment that urged people to look out for observable signs of lying (e.g: rise in pitch, sweating, etc.)

• humans can detect deceit by computing emotion

health psychology

subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging

Hans Selye

• studied animals’ reactions to various stressors (e.g: electric shock, surgical trauma, etc.)

• came up with GAS (general adaptation disorder)

Alarm (GAS #1)

sudden activation of your sympathetic NS

• heart races, blood diverts to skeletal, faintness

Resistance (GAS #2)

• temp, BP, resp.’s all remain high

• sudden outpouring of hormones- READY TO FIGHT

Exhaustion (GAS #3)

• vulnerable to illness or even, in extreme cases, collapse and death

• stress depletes your body’s reserves

facial feedback hypothesis

suggests that individuals’ emotional experiences are influenced by their facial expressions

e.g: smiling means feeling happy

Display rules

social group or culture’s informal norms that distinguish how one should express themselves

learned early on in life by the interactions and socialization w/other people

Yerkes Dodson Law

model of relationship btw stress and task performance

peak level of performance= intermediate level of stress or arousal

Set-point

• individual’s react to the experience of major life events, but quickly adapt back to the pre-event baseline levels of regular well-being in the years following the event

• people have a STANDARD LEVEL OF HAPPINESS

cortisol

stress hormone released by the adrenal cortex

functions include: releasing stored glucose from the liver (for energy) and controlling swelling after injury

Motivational theories

drive reduction, incentive theory, optimal arousal theory, maslow’s hierarchy of motives/needs

Drive reduction theory

based on the idea that we have internal, biological drives

• pushes us towards HOMEOSTASIS

• e.g: we eat to reduce hunger drive

Incentive Theory

based on idea that we have external pulls

eg: studying to get a good grade and/or scholarship money

Optimal Arousal Theory/ YERKES DODSON LAW

behavior is caused by the motivation to maintain optimal arousal

e.g: too low= fatigue, too high= anxiety

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs

physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem, self actualization

motivated to fulfill basic desires and needs before anything else