Psych 202

Psych 202 – Chapter 7: Emotion & Motivation Study Guide

Discrete vs Continuous Emotions

• Discrete Emotions:

  • Definition: Emotions categorized into separate, distinct categories.

  • Examples:

  • Happy

  • Sad

  • Angry

  • Example Scenario: You feel only anger when someone insults you.

• Continuous Emotions:

  • Definition: Emotions that exist on a spectrum, varying in intensity.

  • Examples:

  • Slightly happy

  • Happy

  • Extremely excited

Theories of Emotion

• James-Lange Theory:

  • Definition: States that the physiological reaction occurs first, which then leads to the feeling of emotion.

  • Example Scenario: You see a bear → Your heart races → You feel fear.

• Cannon-Bard Theory:

  • Definition: Proposes that emotional experiences and physiological responses occur simultaneously.

  • Example Scenario: You see a bear → You feel fear and your heart races simultaneously.

• Schachter-Singer Theory (Two-Factor Theory):

  • Definition: States that emotion is based on physical arousal plus cognitive interpretation of the situation.

  • Example Scenario: Your heart races + Noticing a bear → You label this emotion as fear.

• SAME Model:

  • Definition: Emotion is influenced by the situation, the appraisal process (interpretation), and multiple emotions can happen simultaneously.

  • Example Scenario: Graduating can elicit happiness, excitement, and nervousness concurrently.

Six Universal Emotions

• List of the Six Universal Emotions:

  1. Happiness

  2. Sadness

  3. Fear

  4. Anger

  5. Surprise

  6. Disgust

• Cultural Recognition:

  • People from various cultures recognize these emotional expressions, suggesting they are innate.

Evidence for Universal Emotions

• Research Findings:

  • Studies involving diverse cultures, infants, and blind individuals provide evidence for universal emotions.

  • Example Scenario: Blind athletes smile upon winning, despite never having seen a smile before.

Cultural Display Rules

• Definition: Societal norms dictating the appropriate emotional expressions in various contexts.

• Example: It is considered inappropriate to laugh at a funeral; people may suppress their emotions.

Suppression vs Reappraisal

• Suppression:

  • Definition: The act of hiding or controlling emotions after they have been felt.

  • Example: Pretending to be calm when feeling angry.

• Reappraisal:

  • Definition: Changing one's thought processes regarding a situation in order to change the associated emotional experience.

Duchenne vs Fake Smile

• Duchenne Smile:

  • Definition: A genuine smile involving both mouth and eye muscles, often indicative of real happiness.

• Fake Smile:

  • Definition: A superficial smile that typically only engages the mouth muscles, lacking authenticity.

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

• Definition: The theory that facial expressions can influence emotional experiences.

• Example Scenario: Forcing a smile can elicit feelings of happiness.

Types of Empathy

• Cognitive Empathy:

  • Definition: The ability to understand another person's feelings and perspectives, but without necessarily feeling those emotions oneself.

• Emotional Empathy:

  • Definition: The capacity to actually experience the emotions that another person is feeling, essentially feeling with them.

Reconciliation in Primates

• Behavior Post-Conflict:

  • Observations indicate that primates often engage in behaviors such as grooming to restore relationships after conflicts.

  • This behavior suggests a level of social complexity and possible empathy among primates.

Empathy in Rats

• Research Findings:

  • Studies indicate that rats exhibit empathetic behavior; for instance, they will free trapped companions even when food rewards are available, demonstrating an understanding of suffering.

Achievement Motivation

• Definition: The intrinsic desire to succeed and accomplish set goals.

• Example Scenario: A student studies diligently in order to achieve a high grade on an exam.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation

• Intrinsic Motivation:

  • Definition: Engaging in a behavior due to personal enjoyment or satisfaction rather than for some separable consequence.

  • Example: Playing the piano purely for enjoyment.

• Extrinsic Motivation:

  • Definition: Performing a behavior as a means to obtain external rewards or to avoid negative outcomes.

  • Example: Studying hard to earn grades or avoid punishment.

Minimal Justification Effect

• Definition: The psychological phenomenon that occurs when individuals are given a minimal incentive to engage in a task, often leading them to change their attitudes and convince themselves they enjoy the task more than they originally did.

Performance vs Mastery Goals

• Performance Goals:

  • Definition: Aims focused on outdoing others and achieving higher performance levels compared to peers.

• Mastery Goals:

  • Definition: Emphasis on personal learning, skill improvement, and mastery of new challenges rather than competition with others.

Quick Memory Table

• | Concept | Meaning |
  |------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
  | Intrinsic | Doing something because you enjoy it |
  | Extrinsic | Doing something for a reward |
  | Suppression | Hiding emotion after it happens |
  | Reappraisal | Changing how you think about a situation |
  | Cognitive empathy | Understanding someone else's feelings |
  | Emotional empathy | Feeling someone else's emotions |