Test Announcement

  • Test scheduled for Tuesday night.

  • Expected that most students will take the test at home.

  • If home computer is incompatible with Respondus, campus options are available—coordination required.

  • Taking the quiz beforehand may be beneficial.

Social Event Announcement

  • Reference to a volleyball game between psychology society students and staff (fun event).

  • Encouragement to participate in the psychology society for social events and study opportunities.

Lecture Focus: Emotions

  • Today's topic: Emotions

  • Upcoming topics for next week: Motivation (not included in the test)

  • Emphasis on reading for the motivation chapter, as it is testable.

Overview of Emotions

  • Importance of understanding emotions in social and personality psychology.

  • Historical and modern perspectives will be discussed.

Terminology Clarification

  • Emotion: A specific evaluative reaction to an event.

    • Example: "I feel sad because I got dumped."

  • Mood: A general disposition not linked to any specific event.

    • Example: "I'm just in a bad mood today."

  • Affect: The valence of an evaluation towards an event (positive or negative).

    • Subcomponents:

    • Valence: Direction of the feeling (positive or negative).

    • Arousal: Strength of the affect (how intensely you feel it).

Functionality of Emotions

  • Emotions guide survival and reproduction by influencing behavior (approach vs. avoid).

  • Example of arousal motivation:

    • High arousal: "I haven't seen my dog in a year!" (quick approach)

    • Low arousal: Mild positive affect, slower to respond.

Circumflex Model of Emotion

  • Visual representation with two axes:

    • Horizontal axis (Valence): Ranges from positive to negative.

    • Example of high positive valence: Happiness.

    • Vertical axis (Arousal): Ranges from high to low.

    • Examples:

      • High arousal & positive: Excitement

      • Low arousal & negative: Calm

  • Categorization of emotions reflects approach (positive) vs. avoidance (negative) motivations.

Practical Applications: Identifying Emotions

Practice Examples:

  • Strawberry Shortcake:

    • Valence: Positive

    • Arousal: High

  • Lion Encounter:

    • Valence: Negative

    • Arousal: Very High

  • Plain Rice:

    • Valence: Positive

    • Arousal: Low

  • Danger Sign:

    • Valence: Negative

    • Arousal: Very Low

Misattribution of Emotions

  • Discussion on whether emotions can be wrong.

    • Explores distinction between felt vs. displayed emotions.

  • Duchenne Smile: Real vs. fake smile.

    • Activation of eye muscles in genuine smiles.

Research Insights

  • Misattribution studies highlight that people can misattribute their emotional responses.

    • Distinction between displaying emotions and feeling them.

Example Study: Jogging and Attraction (1981)

  • Male participants jogged for varying times (short vs. long) to elevate heart rate.

  • Attraction assessed towards an attractive vs. unattractive woman.

  • Findings: Higher arousal linked to greater attraction to the attractive woman (effect sizes reported).

Vancouver Bridge Study

  • Participants met an attractive woman on a high, unsettling bridge vs. a low one.

  • Discoveries:

    • Increased arousal resulted in greater romantic interest (60% vs. 30% followed up for dates).

    • Participants associated physiological arousal (fear) with emotional response towards the woman.

    • Ethical considerations regarding deception in studies.

Emotion of Disgust

  • Initially evolved as an aversion to rotten foods (avoiding poisoning).

  • Disgust extends to moral judgment, potentially influencing how we perceive unethical behavior.

Emotional Contagion

  • Defined as experiencing emotions through others (e.g., through mirror neurons).

  • Example: Yawning as a result of observing someone else yawn.

  • Mimicry and its social importance:

    • Indicates social bonding and understanding.

  • Study by Tanya Chartrand explores how mimicking can increase persuasiveness.

Charisma and Emotional Contagion

  • High charisma speakers (e.g., Hitler, actors) evoke strong emotional contagion among audiences.

  • Emotional contagion serves to enhance empathy, as feeling someone's emotion fosters connection and understanding.

Cultural Variation in Emotion

  • Differences in emotional expression across cultures (e.g., Italians vs. Japanese).

  • Gender variations in emotional expression (women generally express more than men).

Paul Ekman's Research on Emotional Universality

  • Investigated universal recognition of emotions through facial expressions across varying cultures.

  • Findings confirmed better-than-chance identification of emotions among participants in diverse cultures.

  • Limitations: Use of acted emotions creates potential inaccuracies.

Contextual Understanding of Emotion

  • Importance of context in interpreting and expressing emotion.

  • Lisa Feldman Barrett's theory proposing emotions are social constructs defined by context and physiological experiences.

  • Example of misattribution: Physiological state misinterpreted as love instead of indigestion.

Meta-emotion

  • Defined as thoughts about one's emotions (reflection).

  • Can lead to confusion regarding appropriateness of emotional states.

  • Example: "I shouldn’t feel this happy when grieving."

Strategies to Promote Happiness

  • Avoid striving directly for happiness; instead focus on engaging in enjoyable activities with loved ones for greater fulfillment.

Conclusion

  • Comprehensive examination of emotions, their definitions, and related psychological concepts.

  • Importance of context, physiological responses, and cultural influences in emotional experiences.