Psych chapter 12 – Flashcards

A mix of bodily arousal (heart pounding); expressive behaviors (quickened pace); and conscious experience, Including thoughts & feelings. > Emotions focus our attention and energize our actions; support our survival. > are compounds: never pure, ambivalent. > can be transformed, disguised or combined > extreme love can be a transformation of intense hate

the right prefrontal cortex tends to be more active than the left. > depressed Ex. disgust

more left frontal lobe activity > alert, enthusiastic, energized, and persistently goal-directed adults

- have greater emotional literacy, nonverbal sensitivity, and empathy expression than men - experience emotions more deeply with more brain activation in areas sensitive to emotion. - more open to feelings > enjoy positive peer relationships

anger

10 basic emotions; joy, interest-excitement, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust, contempt, fear, shame, and guilt most present in infancy.

- Muscle expressions across cultures. - Survival Ex. Surprise raises the eyebrows and widens the eyes, enabling us to take in more information. Disgust wrinkles the nose, closing it from foul odors. - Cultures differ in how much the express emotions.

Expressive behavior: hard laughing bodily arousal: tense muscles conscious experience: this is hilarious!

sometimes there is a disconnect between 1. the emotion we feel 2. the idea we associate it with ex. angry at doctor, but angry at the loved one who abandoned us

The theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli. Ex. We feel sorry because we cry, angry because we strike, afraid because we tremble

The theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion. Ex. Our heart races as we experience fear

- Schachter and Singer - A stirred-up state can be experienced as one emotion or another, depending on how we interpret and label it. Arousal fuels emotion; cognition channels it. Ex. Arousal from a soccer match can fuel anger, which can descend into rioting or other violent confrontations.

The Schachter-Singer theory that to experience emotion one must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal. (Psychological appraisal & cognitive appraisal) Ex. Arousal can be labeled as fear or excitement , depending on the context Ex. fast heartbeat (arousal) + "its a bear" (cognitive label) = "i'm afraid" (emotion)

We have many emotional reactions apart from, or even before, our interpretation of a situation.

High road; sensory input may be routed to the cortex from the thalamus for analysis and then transmission to the amygdala.

Low road; Sensory input may be routed directly to the amygdala from the thalamus for an instant emotional reaction. Ex. We automatically react to a sound in the forest before appraising it

Like a crisis control center, the autonomic nervous system arouses the body in a crisis and calms it when danger passes.

Emotions (especially simple likes, dislikes, and fears) travel a "low road". Sensory input may be routed directly to the amygdala from the thalamus for an instant emotional reaction Ex. fearful eyes triggered increased amygdala activity. A control condition that presented happy eyes did not trigger this activity.

Emotions arise when we appraise an event as harmless or dangerous, whether we truly know it is or not. Ex. We appraise the sound of the rustling bushes as the presence of a threat. Later, we realize that it was "just the wind."

Body without conscious thoughts > fast heartbeat without an understanding of why one is fearful

body + label & interpretaion = thoughts > prefrontal cortex; decision & logic matures at age 25

Calming Ex. Pupils contract, breathing decreases & heart slows

Arousing. Ex. pupils dilate, breathing increases, & heart accelerates > over-activation causes heart/artery disease; blood vessels get clogged

Runners tend to excel when aroused by competition. High anxiety in test-takers may disrupt their performance. Teaching anxious students how to relax before an exam can enable them to perform better.

A machine, commonly used in attempts to detect lies, that measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion. Ex. perspiration and cardiovascular and breathing changes

Assesses a suspect's physiological responses to crime scene details known only to the police and the guilty person. Ex. If a camera and computer had been stolen, for example, only a guilty person should react strongly to the brand names of the stolen items.

Gestures

The tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness. Ex. Smile warmly on the outside and you feel better on the inside. > awakens emotions

release of strong , pent-up tension or emotion in an outburst of exalted expressions. Ex. lashing out, raging, cursing > In western individualist countries >temporarily calming if it does not leave us feeling guilty or anxious. (Different in males and females)

Sexual arousal, fear, and anger share biological similarities

a neural center deep inside the brain, and activated when we experience various social emotions, such as lust, pride, and disgust. > In brain scans, it "lights up" when people bite into some disgusting food

- Sexual arousal, fear, and anger share biological similarities - excitement and fear involve similar physiological arousal > However, finger temperatures and hormone secretions that accompany fear and rage do sometimes differ. > facial muscles in anger and joy differ.

- it is reinforcing and therefore habit forming. - behavior feedback phenomenon: Acting angry can make us feel angrier - fails to cleanse rage > Suggestions: - Boys exercise, & girls talk to friends or listen to music - Forgiveness - Bring calm speech - Wait; Any emotional arousal will simmer down > Managing anger - Reappraisal: changing one's emotional experience by changing the meaning of the stimulus - situation: someone took my parking 1. reappraise conscious experience into "person might have emergency 2. bodily arousal: diminished anger 3. expressive behavior: let go of situation - Use I statements "when you do this_______, i feel________.

detecting emotions emotions that are easier to read

- Decreased eye blinks - minimal self reference - Simple sentences become complicated - negative - nostrils flare up - corner of lip is lifted - emotion leaks through; duping delight - facial movement changes > fake smile; lopsided, abrupt patterning, forced facial muscles, last 4-5 seconds > real smile; symmetrical, temporal patterning, eyes crinkle, muscles resist control

1. Hell is the other 2. I am my own hell 3. How can i get out of hell?

Self perceived happiness or satisification with life

People's tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood

- Money buys happiness if it lifts people from poverty

when wealth or other life conditions improve, we are happier compared to before > adapt new levels of normal Ex. study hard and get into medicine school v happiness v will become the new normal, & look for a new object of desire

- Focus on needs and wishes of others - make close relationships a priority - look beyond wealth for happiness - smile and act happy - save up for an experience ( plane tickets)

The process of appraising and responding to events which we consider threatening or challenging Ex. stressful event (math test) appraisal 1. threat 2. challenge response 1. stressed 2. focusedst

an event or condition we view as threatening, challenging or overwhelming

how we appraise an event influences how much stress we experience & how effectively we respond

Stress response system defends, then fatigues.

mobilizes immune system, motivates us to conquer problems, energized and satisfied lives. Ex. teachers, athletes, leaders thrive by challenges

risk of chronic disease, heart problems & death - high levels of stress hormone cortisol: damage the body Ex. losing job, troops with post traumatic stress

unpredictable, & large-scale events Ex. war, earthquake, famine