Exam 4 Psych

James Lange theory

Arousal comes before emotion,

Cannon-Bard theory

Arousal and emotion happen at the same time

Schachter-Singer theory

Arousal + Label = emotion, emotions have two ingredients: physical arousal and cognitive appraisal

Spillover effect

Arousal spills over from one event to the next- influencing the response, ex) arousal from a soccer match can fuel anger, which can descend into rioting or violent confrontations

Zajonc and Ledoux

Sometimes emotional responses take a neural shortcut that bypasses the cortex and goes directly to the amygdala, some emotional responses involve no deliberate thinking

Lazarus theory

The brain processes much information without conscious awareness, but mental functioning still takes place. Emotions arise when appraised as harmless or dangerous.

Women with emotions

Tend to be more empathic, read emotional cues more easily, express more emotion with their faces

Culture and emotional expression

Gestures differ but outward signs of emotions are generally the same, musical expression crosses cultures, facial expressions are universal

The facial feedback effect

Making certain facial expressions can trigger feelings and signal our body to act accordingly, can help emphasize

Behavior Feedback theory

Behavior influences our own and other’ thought, feelings, and actions. Acting as another acts

How many emotions are there?

Izard isolated basic 10 basic emotions

what are the 10 basic emotions?

Joy, interest-excitement, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust, contempt, fear, shame, and guilt

what are the two dimensions that help differentiate emotions?

Positive versus negative valence, low versus high arousal

How can anger be described?

Either as “a short madness” or “noble anger”

Causes of anger

often evoked by misdeeds that we interpret as willful, unjustified, and avoidable. Can also be triggered by small frustrations and blameless annoyances

Negative consequences of anger

heart disease, emotional catharsis may be temporarily calming but does not reduce anger over time

Positive consequences of anger

May resolve conflict, forgiveness may rid of angry feelings, can communicate strength and competence, motivates action, expresses grief when wisely used

Catharsis

Venting anger which is thought to release that built up anger

best ways to manage anger

wait, find a health distraction or support, distance yourself

Adaptation-level phenomenon

Tendency to form judgments relative to our prior experiences

Comparison (Relative Deprivation)

Satisfaction comes from income rank, rather than income level, one is worse off compares to the comparison group

stress

vague term; typically describes threats or challenges but can be hard to pin down

Stress reaction

physical and emotional (weakness or anxiety)

Stressor

the cause of tension or strain, those appraised as threats can have a strong negative reaction

Catastrophes

Unpleasant, large-scale events, can do significant damage to emotional and physical health

Significant life events

Personal events; life transitions

daily hassles

day to day challenges, less intense stressor that can affect well being if not managed

Psychoneuroimmunology

studies mind-body interactions

Immune system and stress

When it doesn’t function properly is responds too strongly (self-attacking) or it can under reacts (cancer cells multiply, bacterial infections flare up)

type A personality

competitive, hard driving, impatient, time conscious, verbally aggressive

Type B personali

Coping

Reducing stress using emotional, cognitive or behavior

Problem focused coping

Attempting to reduce stress by changing the stressor or how you react with it

Emotional focused coping

Attempting to reduce stress by avoiding/ignoring the stressor and attending to emotional needs related to the situation

External locus of control

believe that chance or outside forces control their fate

Internal locus of control

believe they control their own destiny

Self-control

ability to control impulses and delay short term gratification for greater long term rewards

Reducing stress

relaxation, relaxation training, mindful meditation

fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers when analyzing others’ behaviors to underestimate situational factors and overestimating the impact of ones character

in-group bias

Tendency to favor our own group

Attitudes

are feelings influenced by beliefs, which predispose people to have specific reactions to objects, people, and events

Peripheral route persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness rather than facts

Central route persuasion

Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

Foot in the door phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position,

Cognitive dissonance

when our actions do not fit with out attitudes or beliefs, we begin to feel discomfort or tension

Chameleon effect

The unconscious mimicry of others’ whether that be facial expressions, behaviors, etc.

Mood contagion

The unconscious process of adopting another person’s emotions (catching someone’s smile)

conformity

Driven by the desire to fit in, avoid conflict, and gain approval.

Stanley Milgram’s experiment

Experiment that showed how people would follow authority and would conform to do things that they were ordered to do

Normative social influence

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

Informational social influence

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept other’s opinions about reality

social facilitation

the presence of others may have an increase in the arousal of an individual

social loafing

Tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when working collectively than when working alone, can lead to reduced team productivity

Deindividuation

Group arousal and anonymity, individuals may feel free to act in ways that are out of character, meaner to those when we feel hidden, can lead to antisocial behavior

group polarization

Group discussions with like minded others strengthen members’ prevailing beliefs, attitudes and opinions

groupthink

people are driven by a desire for harmony within a decision making group

conflict

perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

social trap

A situation in which the conflicting parties by each pursing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, caught in mutually destructive behavior

mirror image perceptions

People in conflict form negative, distorted images of one another

Prejudice

An unjustifiable (usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members

discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Stereotype

A generalized belief about a group of people

What is prejudice thought to be more of ?

Implicit, unthinking knee jerk response

Social inequality

Often lead to the development of attitudes that justify the statue quo

Just-world phenomenon

Good is rewarded, and evil is punished

In group

“Us”, people who we share a common identity

out group

“them”, those who perceived as different or are outside of our own group

scapegoat theory

theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame