Lecture 5 - Appraisals and Some Emotions

revised james lange theory 

eliciting an event is what leads to appraisal and then physiological changes and behaviors leads to defining a feeling 

appraisal

subjective interpretation of what a stimulus means for our goals, concerns and well being, not the emotion but subjective interpretation of the stimulus, its a defining feature of emotion and the cause of the behavior, its about ongoing relationships with the environment

speed of appraisals

some are really fast so for example the cells in the PFC start firing differently based on if you’re looking at something pleasant or unpleasant, even the facial muscles move to make expressions within ½ second of seeing something, photos of fearful expressions can evoke sweating, trembling and even when presented too briefly for conscious detection (120 milliseconds)

core relational themes theory 

a basic prototype kind of issue or benefit that ppl can encounter in their transactions with environment, each theme is associated with a particular emotion, closely linked to basic/discrete emotion theory,

appraisal dimensions

evaluate every situation by asking a set of questions, some that you ask based on some appraisal dimensions, is the stimulus novel? what is the valence? (ex; ear is unpleasant and important for safety and feel that you can cope, based on this the emotion of fear is evoked, appraisal profiles across dimensions are associated with specific emotions, closely linked to component process model)

pride

if you need to breakdown pride based on appraisal, the patterns are common across all cultures, ex; pride is always pleasant, goal relevant and socially valued, can breakdown each emotion into particular components (related to the component process model) 

core relational themes examples

anger (demeaning offense against me), fear (immediate concrete, overwhelming physical danger) and sadness (expressing some irrevocable loss)

appraisal dimensions examples

expectedness, pleasantness, responsible agent, goal conduciveness, control, certainty and fairness

primary appraisal

the way in which some event is relevant to the individual’s needs and well-being (is it good for me? does it matter to me?)

secondary appraisal

the individual’s appraisal of his or her ability to cope with a situation (who caused it? How much control do you have and to what extent is the situation expected to change?, ex; trying to find some meaning in feedback and what can you do about it?)

core relational themes study

participants recall personal emotional eliciting events and rated how different themes applied and which emotions they experienced, they found that themes explained 34-60% of the variance among ratings, which strongly supports the core relational theme theory 

appraisal dimensions study

participants performed stressful serial subtraction task and they rated the appraisal dimensions and their emotional experiences during the task (given random number and asked to subtract 8 for example and keep on subtracting it in your head), different emotions showed distinct appraisal profiles supporting the appraisal dimension/component process model

do appraisals cause emotions? (study)

they had university undergrads do a serial subtraction task under threat appraisal or challenge appraisal and the researchers measured perceived difficulty, ability to cope and measures of cardiac and vascular activity

threat appraisal condition

the instructions of the serial subtraction task emphasized the importance of doing the task as quickly and accurately as possible and performance was scored

challenge appraisal condition

they thought of the task as a challenge, yourself as someone capable of meeting that challenge

do appraisals cause emotions (results)

they found that the threat posed by situation perceived as exceeding ability to cope caused increased cardiac activity and vascular constriction, however in the challenge appraisal coping resources are perceived as adequate for the situation which caused increased cardiac activity and reduced vascular resistance

what are the advantages of the challenge profile?

it predicted higher exam performance, academic outcomes, better performance on motor task, high power roles linked to challenge profile and lower ones to threat profiles implying that control appraisals can be manipulated influencing how we respond to difficult situations

pre ejection period

marker of sympathetic drive (related to QRS plots, time interval between onset of ventricular depolarization/relaxation and the opening of the aortic valve)

universals and cultural differences in emotional appraisals (study)

researchers wanted to know if people around the word associate specific emotions with similar appraisal profiles, they asked participants to describe situations where they felt different emotions and appraisal dimensions for the target situation

universals and cultural differences in emotional appraisals (results)

they found there weren’t many outliers so really high correlations, pleasantness is high for appraisal dimensions for joy, expectedness and self consistency is also very high, for fear you have low coping ability and for immorality it was rated high in anger, immorality was higher for disgust than sadness, generally across different regions in the world, appraisal profile similarities were much greater than differences for each emotion, roles of fairness and morality differed greatly across regions

is appraisal necessary for emotion (study)

participants viewed symbols multiple times and found that ideograms seen more often were better liked

what elicits anger?

based on core relational themes its something demeaning like another person being blamed for one’s insult or harm but based on appraisal dimension its an unexpected situation, so if something is unpleasant and unfair, goal discrepant and caused by someone else

cognitive neoassociationistic model

this is the idea that people are more likely to riot, commit crimes when temperatures are higher, aggression toward a confederate is increased by physical pain, unpleasant noise and cig smoke, fear is still more likely than anger if control is appraised as low (link between surrounding and inner feeling)

fear

response to perceived danger, either to oneself or a loved one

anxiety

a general expectation that something bad might happen

social anxiety 

intense anxiety around social interaction, especially when meeting new ppl or having others’ attention focused on you 

rumination

anxious events will come to mind all the time

startle response

reaction to a sudden loud noise where muscles tense rapidly, eyes close tightly and shoulder pull close to the neck and the arms pull toward the head, can be enhanced in a threatening situation, info from ears travel to the pons, medulla and spinal cord, full response takes less that ⅕ second

startle potentiation

enhancement of startle response in a frightening or unpleasant situation, as compared to a safe one

phobic targets 

dangerous animals, social threats, non-living physical threats

prepared learning

proposal that people are evolutionary predisposed to learn some fear more easily than others, for example ppl who have shocks paired with pictures of snakes develop conditioned fear responses faster than when shocks are paired with pictures of houses

amygdala

helps scan info from the environment assessing potential danger, the startle response can be augmented or diminished by input from it, if receives info from vision, hearing and pain then sends output to the HPC, pons, PFC and other regions

anxiolytics 

these are drugs that relieve anxiety symptoms by inhibiting overall brain activity, it enhances the effects of GABA which inhibits amygdala activity 

behavioral inhibition system (BIS)

When the system is activated, it reinforces sensitivity theory, its responsible for detecting and responding to cues of punishment, threats or unfamiliar situations, when activated it triggers anxiety, caution and inhibition of behavior to avoid negative outcomes, playing a major role in anxiety disorders and the regulation of social behavior, (ex; procrastination, can be related to your personal experiences)

key features of BIS

it is sensitive to threats and punishments (crucial for avoiding harm), it inhibits behavior, suppressing impulse actions and allows individuals to pause and assess risks before acting, it is linked to anxiety so activation produces anxiety and fear motivating the individual to avoid risky or dangerous situation, it causes physiological responses like increased HR, muscle tension and other symptoms of anxiety at the body preps to deal with potential danger

process model

situation draws our attention and appraise if it helps or gets in the way of our goals and that guides our emotional response, offers opportunity to change your emotions and behavior, we can than re-evaluate our emotions and act accordingly

freezing

when danger is distant and uncertain when you try not to attract attention, stop moving, HR slows, amygdala plays a big role here, muscles tense as you try not to attract attention

flight

once danger is imminent, sympathetic activation increases HR and BP to support escape

joint laxity syndrome

harmless but many ppl with the condition also develop severe anxieties 

is there a way to only elicit a particular emotion?

game theory you can elicit anger when the AI treats you unfairly due to expectation of fairness compared to if its a human

responses to violation (study)

had ppl match facial expressions to specific emotional responses based on dif violations (violation of autonomy, divinity/purity and community standard), they found that participants from both countries selected the expected facial expression as the best match for each kind of violation (anger with autonomy violation, disgust with divinity/purity, and contempt with community standard)

expression of anger

in the prototypical facial expression of anger, the brows contract into a frown, lower eyelids pull up and towards the inner corner of the eyes, the eyes widen and lips tighthen

hostile aggression

harmful behavior motivated by anger and intent to hurt someone

instrumental aggresion

harmful or threatening behavior used purely as a way to obtain something or to achieve some end

peripheral physiology of anger

HR and respiration rate increase, blood vessels to extremities expand, keeping hands and feet harm

approach motivation

impulse to move toward a stimulus, associated with greater activation in the left frontal cortex than the right, characterizes anger

avoidance motivation

impulse to retreat from a stimulus, associated with greater right frontal activation, linked to other negative emotions

cognitive restructuring

the person is taught to reinterpret events as less threatening or hostile, and replace anger-evoking thoughts with calmer ones

social skills training

therapist teach clients to communicate their needs more clearly to others, calm down before speaking

exposure therapy

the client practices remaining calm in the presence of events, insults that would usually provoke anger

problem solving

clients learn to solve problems constructively, without getting angry

core disgust

an emotional response to an object that threatens your physical health like feces, rotting food or sick ppl, this response is easily conditioned, even after one negative experience, ppl show signs of magical thinking to avoid contamination even when no risk is present

moral disgust

disgust response to violations of moral code rather than physical contamination, ppl display similar facial expressions to bitter tastes, photos of insects and unfair behavior in an economic game, moral transgressions are rated as more disgusting after participants have tasted a bitter substance than after a sweet or neutral one

contamination focused disgust

increased HR and BP, increased RSA, fast, shallow breathing, increased electrodermal activity

blood/gore focused disgust

decreased HR and BP, along with other responses

insular cortex

activated in response to disgusting stimuli, especially among ppl who are highly disgust prone

sadness

a response to loss or failure, the non verbal expression of it is easily recognized especially when the  person is crying, sad behavior elicits others’ sympathy, concern, support, it may facilitate cautious, systematic information processing

embarrassment

felt when one violates a social convention, draws attention, motivates submissive behavior

guilt

felt when one does something morally wrong, focuses on the act, more likely to make amends

shame

felt when one does something morally wrong and focuses on the self, less likely to make amends

subjective well being

an overall evaluation of one’s life as pleasant, interesting and satisfying, high satisfaction with life, high positive affect and low negative affect

dark side of happiness

as happiness increases we see advantages for our physiological health but only to a point then it devolves into bad outcomes like decreases in creativity, increased rates of riskiness, alcohol, drug use and mental illness, its the idea that happiness is good until we reach a tipping point then its not good to have too much of a good thing, valuing it increases standards of happiness setting you up for failure, its important and gives meaning to our lives, critical to find the right tools to attain it and accept it as is

what predicts happiness?

most ppl in reasonably prosperous countries rte themselves above midpoint of happiness and in the US, most ppl say relationships with friends are predictive of it

personality and happiness

twin studies suggest 40% of individual difference in happiness are because of genetics, its strongly correlated with extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and low neuroticism are all predictive of higher subjective well being

extraversion and happiness study 

they had participants behave in more or less extraverted ways while interacting with strangers and found that those who acted outgoing felt more enjoyment and positive affect, regardless of natural personality 

life events and happiness

life satisfaction is going down during the period where someone got divorced or someone dies and overtime it goes up but it does not reach the baseline level, most events only affect life satisfaction temporarily, injuries that cause major disability, job loss, loss of spouse to death or divorce most likely to have lasting effects

wealth and happiness

most believe that more money would make them happier, at low income, if your GDP goes up you have higher subjective well being and lottery winners happiness rises but drops after a few months, income does predict subjective well being but above the threshold of basic security and comfort, more wealth has little effect

predictors of happiness

equality, strong relationships, physical health, participation in a religious community, sense of control in life, having a goal but able to relinquish goals that prove unacheivable and physical attractiveness

activities that promote happiness

things you do have greater impact than things that happen to you, gratitude (setting time aside to count blessings improves well being) and giving (spending money on other promotes happiness more than spending it on yourself)

broaden and build theory

positive emotions promote broadened attention to the environment as well as greater flexibility in thought/action as well as greater flexibility in thought/action repertoires, for positive mood, ppl tend toward global rather that attentional focus

enthusiasm

pleasurable anticipation of reward, the nucleus accumbens is highly active during anticipation of rewards, including food, money and social reward, physiology includes increased sympathetic and reduced parasympathetic activation causing narrowing of attention rather than broadening

contentment

pleasant emotion experiences after consuming a reward

authentic pride

situational based on accurate assessment of one’s accomplishment

hubristic pride

belief that one is naturally better than others, more likely to include boasting/arrogance

love as an attitude

a combination of beliefs, feelings and behaviors directed toward a person, object or category

love as a script

culturally learned set of expectations about events, thoughts, feelings and behaviors

love as a prototype

set of characteristics that describes the ideal example of some category but may not be held by every member, involved love for family, maternal love has the highest rating 

amusement

emotional response to physical or cognitive play which promotes learning

cognitive shift

a transition from thinking about a target from one perspective to a different but still appropriate perspective, proposed as a defining feature of humor

attachment love

emotion elicited by attachment figure, other individual currently providing care and support

nurturant love

emotion elicited by young, vulnerable, cute others, especially offspring and youngkin

sexual desire

emotion elicited by promising sexual/reproductive partner

awe

emotional response to vast, extraordinary stimuli that challenge comprehension, physiology includes reduction in SNS influence on the heart, it promotes cognitive accommodation and increases the need for cognitive closure as certainty, confidence in understanding are challenged

cognitive accommodation

taking new info in from the environment rather than filtering it through the lens of our expectations, assumptions

hope

high agency in a challenging situation, combined with generation of plans to facilitate the desired outcome

optimism

general expectation that good things will happen, most US adults have some degree of unrealistic optimism, believing they are more likely than average to experience good outcomes and less likely to experience bad ones, its about the effectiveness of one’s actions being more likely to promote positive outcomes than assuming all will be well, regardless of one’s actions