Emotions lifespan exam 2
Ledoux's "low road" vs. "High road" four our perception to threat: what is the anatomical brain structure of these neural pathways, what is their time course, and what is the function of each?
"Low road"- quick & dirty (not very accurate) -----Thalamus- sends crude signal to amygdala indicating if stimulus is to be feared ------Primes amygdala to respond IF high road signal confirms that stimulus is something to be forced "High road"- slows & more thorough evaluation (more accurate) -------Thalamus → sensory cortex → amygdala --------Confirms or disconfirms to the amygdala that stimulus is something to be feared *** Evolution attempts to be sure we are: Fast Accurate
How does infant temperament relate to EEG activation (Davidson, 1992)?
(a) Uninhibited kids had left frontal activation and inhibited kids had right frontal activation- (b)Infants who cried when separated from their mothers had higher right-sided activation
John and Gross found significant individual differences in how people regulate their emotions. What are the effects of these individual differences on (a) positive and negative emotionality (both experience and expression), (b) memory processes, © social processes, (d) and subjective well-being?
(a) positive and negative emotionality (both experience and expression) Reappraisal: higher effect in positive emotions and expression vice versa for negative Suppression: lower effect in positive emotions and expressions vice versa for negative (b) memory processes Reappraisal: more positive effect on memory Suppression: negative effect on memory ( c) social processes Reappraisal: higher, positive effect Suppression: lower, negative effect (d) subjective well-being Reappraisal: higher, positive effect Suppression: lower, negative effect
What broad factors that we discussed in class determine happiness? And, what percentage of our happiness is attributable to each?
50%: A person's chronic happiness level determined by genes (significant behavior genetic evidence) 40%: non-genetic factors influencing a person's level of chronic happiness (intentional activity *Myers list*, circumstances) 10%: out of your control
What two paradigms did Dachner Keltner use to study embarrassment?
Labratoroy paradigm and the Field paradigm. In the laboratory paradigm, Keltner uses experimental methods to induce embarrassment in participants, and then measures their physiological responses (such as changes in heart rate or skin conductance) and self-reported feelings of embarrassment. This allows him to study the basic mechanisms of embarrassment and to test hypotheses about the conditions under which embarrassment occurs. In the field paradigm, Keltner studies real-life instances of embarrassment, often by observing and interviewing people in natural settings. This approach allows him to examine the social and cultural factors that influence the experience and expression of embarrassment in everyday life.
What physiological measure has LeDoux used to infer that amygdala damage influences the conditioned response.
LeDoux has used physiological measures such as skin conductance response (SCR) to infer that amygdala damage influences the conditioned response. SCR is a measure of sympathetic nervous system activity, and it reflects changes in the electrical conductance of the skin in response to emotional stimuli. When people are presented with emotionally arousing stimuli, such as a loud noise or an image of a snake, they typically show an increase in SCR, indicating heightened emotional arousal.
What is Moebius syndrome and what causes it? Is there a way to treat the condition?
Moebius syndrome is when the 6th and 7th cranial nerves are paralyzed. This inhibits the ability to express emotions, which means they can't display emotions. There is no specific treatment for this syndrome, but there is a surgery that puts a muscle from the thigh into the face.
Compare and contrast Ekman's neurocultural theory of emotion with Fridlund's Behavioral Ecology View of Emotion.
Neurocultural theory posits that emotions are automatic. Humans are hardwired so that expressions occur involuntarily and automatically because of an affect program. An affect program would suggest a direct connection between neurology and expression. Behavioral Ecology view of emotion posits that emotions are communicative, in that they are designed to signal to others and are inherently social. Comparatively, the two theories acknowledge culture, in that it influences what you see on a person's face (Ekman). What you see on a face (and because this could be culturally variable), thus, could communicate different things.
Does being well off correlate with happiness within a nation? Provide empirical evidence to support your answer.
No, within a nation, being well off does not correlate with higher levels of happiness. For example, a study (Brickman et al., 1978) was conducted regarding lottery winners. Six months after their win, their self-reported happiness levels were barely higher than those of the control group.
Which emotion from Elfenbein and Ambady's meta-analysis do subjects decode most and least accurately?
Subjects most accurately decoded happiness, and least accurately decoded was fear.
What have they found that distinguishes martial couples that are successful versus those that are not?
Successful marriages were distinguished by couples regulating negative indicators (level of negative emotion, chains of negative emotion, chains of negative emotion interrupted by, negative attributions, and autonomic arousal). These could be characterized by repair attempts (joking, ie). Unsuccessful marriages were distinguished by couples dysregulating negative indicators. An example of this is stonewalling- when you get into an interaction with a partner and you shut down and pull out other things you could read or be doing.
Parasympathetic vs. sympathetic
Sympathetic- arousing- when a bear comes and gets you, you run and get away Parasympathetic- calming- when you are hanging out with friends your heart rate lowers
Which emotions did they most commonly confuse?
The emotions that they most commonly confused were fear and surprise.
What are the 4 characteristics we discussed in relation to affective displays?
The four characteristics in relation to affective displays are symmetry (real expressions of emotion tend to be symmetrical), duration (1/2- 2 seconds), reliable muscle movement (involuntary, specific muscle movements are hard to fake, each expression has its own reliable muscle movement), and 34 sets of facial muscles (you can make over 10,000 different facial expressions).
What other "emotions" have distinct signals other than the emotions Ekman studied?
The other emotions that have distinct signals other than what Ekman studied include shame, pride, love, and sexual desire.
What was the overarching theory that Darwin was attempting to support in The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals which states that our species descended from other species?
The overarching theory was biogenetic continuity, which is the idea that our species descended from other species and that we have common ancestors. The idea is that at one point, many facial expressions were directly adapted.
Describe the methodology Herteinstein et al. (2006)
The purpose of the study was to see whether touch can communicate specific emotions and if participants could decode emotions by merely observing other individuals communicate via touch. Another purpose of the study was to see whether humans can communicate more emotions than previously thought (love, gratitude, sympathy). The method of the study was to have the toucher on one side of a black curtain, and the subject on the other. The emotions conveyed by touch were randomized, and the subject responded via a forced choice model for the emotions anger, disgust, fear, happiness, envy, pride, etc, and none of the above.
Which side of the brain is more involved in interpreting emotional material? Provide one piece of evidence that suggests this
The right side of the brain is more involved in interpreting emotional material. One piece of evidence that suggests this is the phenomenon of emotional lateralization, which refers to the greater activation of the right hemisphere in response to emotional stimuli. Research has shown that when people are presented with emotionally arousing stimuli, such as pictures or words with emotional content, there is increased activation in the right hemisphere of the brain, particularly in the amygdala, which is a key structure involved in processing emotions. In contrast, when people are presented with non-emotional stimuli, there is more activation in the left hemisphere of the brain.
What did Kring and Gordon's study of gender differences in emotion show? What methodology did they employ to investigate gender differences?
The subjects were male and female undergraduates, and they watched 6 films (happy, sad, fear). The DVs were displays of emotion, skin conductance, and experience of emotion (self-report). Women on average show more emotion than men. Women showed more emotion on all levels of happiness, sadness, and fear. Furthermore, women had higher levels of skin conductance for each condition. There were no differences in self-report of emotion.
Describe the basic experimental paradigm Gottman and Levenson use to study marital interaction (general procedure, DVs, and general designs used).
The subjects were romantic partners. Their task was to have 15 minute unrehearsed conversations related to a conflict area in a room. D.V. behavior, physiology, and subjective experience. They conducted 2 studies, one which was predictive and brought the couple in one time to predict divorce. The second was longitudinal where they brought the subjects in a couple times.
What two major functions does the face serve?
The two major functions that the face serves are informative function (tells us how we are perceiving a situation) and evocative function (elicits behavior in others).
How is the vocal communication of emotions studied?
The vocal communication of emotions is studied through encoding and decoding. Encoding involves studying natural vocal expression, inducing emotion through movies or imagery, and simulating vocal expressions (asking actors to produce vocal expression). Decoding involves forced choice and free response, and the rates are not as high as decoding facial expressions, but they are still above chance.
Describe the results of Herteinstein et al. (2006)
Their results indicated significant findings for anger, fear, and disgust, as well as sadness and sympathy. No significant findings were found for embarrassment, envy, or pride, but there were significant findings for love, gratitude, and sympathy. The study was replicated in Spain and these results parallel those of Study 1. Study 3 was conducted to test whether observers of tactile displays of emotion could also decode emotions without feeling the touch. They were shown video clips taken from Study 1. The results were also significant for observers accurately decoding anger, fear, happiness, disgust, love, and sympathy.
What two factors determine a person's overall assessment of pleasure regarding an experience? Name one factor that does NOT determine the assessment of pleasure.
Two factors that determine a person's overall assessment of regarding experience: 1. The peak moment of pleasure matters ----IE best bite= recollection of happiness 2. How you feel at the end matters ---The length of the pleasurable experience does not predict recollected pleasure is one factor that does not determine the assessment of pleasure
Do facial displays relate to psychopathology? If so, how?
Yes they do relate to psychopathology. Ekman's experiment of the psych ward patients during interviews suggests this. The DV was a display of emotion. Findings concluded that different psychopathologies have different emotional displays.
Do facial displays predict life outcomes? If so, how? Describe the method and findings of Harker and Keltner's study of yearbook pictures. Describe 2 explanations for the findings.
Yes, facial displays predict life outcomes. The yearbook study was photos of women from their yearbook and depending on how they smiled, researchers predicted personality, marriage, and well-being. Results indicated that smiling is negatively correlated with positivity in life. The stoic (fake smile) was 5x more likely to get divorced than people who actually smiled. People who smiled more were less likely to get a divorce. There are a few possible explanations for these findings. One is that people who display positive emotions in their facial expressions are more attractive and likable, which leads to better social outcomes. Another explanation is that positive emotions signal an individual's capacity to handle stress and adversity, which may contribute to their long-term success. Positive emotions may also promote resilience and positive coping strategies, which in turn lead to better life outcomes.
List and describe the five major critiques we discussed that researchers like James Russel wage against Ekman's Universality studies of decoding.
-Gradient critique: if everything is universal, you would not get different scores when coding -Forced-choice critique: had to choose emotion; inflates accuracy rates -Ecological validity critique: facial expressions and intensity do not equal real life. -Within subjects critique: exposed to all faces; inflates accuracy rates -Recognition does not equal production critique: just because recognized does not mean the emotion is produced in real life.
What did SP show? What did the FMRI data indicate about amygdala activation in response to fear faces? Describe Adams et al.'s study ( research question, method, and results)
-SP showed the role of the amygdala in emotion. SP was 54 years old, had first signs of epilepsy at 4 years old, their right amygdala was removed at the age of 48, the left amygdala was lesioned naturally, they had normal IQ, passed college courses, and performed well on visual attention tasks. -SP vs control group (IV) were shown photos of 6 emotions & were asked "How X (each of the emotions) does this person look? On a scale from 1-6 (DV) (1= not at all, 6= very much). Ratings indicated how many subjects viewed each type of facial expression as representative of fear, on a scale of 1-6 (in chart p. 144). SP was incapable of perceiving the fear expression accurately. -fMRI data showed amygdala activation increases while exposure to fear face increases. And, the amygdala lights up to fear faces even when unconscious. -Adam et al (2003) conducted a study w/ a research question: is the amygdala responsive to angry faces in which the gaze is averted? Method: ??. Results: 1) amygdala isn't only sensitive to fear, but responsive to averted gaze/anger. 2) study underscores the importance of gaze direction on the physiology of perceivers.
Why would someone with a brain lesion in the right hemisphere be able to spontaneously smile, but have an asymmetrical voluntary smile? Explain the neural pathways.
A brain lesion in the right hemisphere can affect the neural pathways responsible for the generation and control of facial expressions. Specifically, it can disrupt the connections between the motor cortex in the left hemisphere and the facial muscles on the right side of the face, leading to an asymmetrical voluntary smile. However, spontaneous smiling is controlled by a different neural pathway, which involves the limbic system and the basal ganglia. This pathway bypasses the motor cortex and directly activates the facial muscles on both sides of the face, leading to a symmetrical smile. Therefore, someone with a brain lesion in the right hemisphere may be able to spontaneously smile because the neural pathway responsible for this type of smile is still intact. However, they may have an asymmetrical voluntary smile because the pathway connecting the motor cortex to the facial muscles on the right side of the face is disrupted. In summary, the neural pathways responsible for spontaneous and voluntary smiling are different. A brain lesion in the right hemisphere can disrupt the voluntary smiling pathway, leading to an asymmetrical smile, while leaving the spontaneous smiling pathway intact, allowing for symmetrical smiling.
What is a conditioned response? Explain how someone without an amygdala differs from a typical person in terms of his/her conditioned response. In your answer, be sure that you understand how to identify the UCS, UCR, CR, CS.
A conditioned response refers to learning an initial environmental stimulus that elicits fear (UCR), which then predicts the occurrence and association of a later conditioned response that results in the same fear response Someone without an amygdala is incapable of learning the association between conditioned and unconditioned response UCS: unconditioned stimulus UCR: unconditioned response CR: conditioned response CS: conditioned stimulus
What is the difference between a Duchenne smile and a non-Duchenne smile (what's the name of the muscle)?
A duchenne smile is a true smile that involves the orbicularis oculi muscle and zygomatic major muscle. Crows feet and turned up corner of lips.
For which emotion did Pollak and Sinah identify that physically abused kids require less perceptual input than controls to identify? For which emotion did they identify that physically abused kids require more perceptual input than controls to identify?
Abused kids require less perceptual input than controls to identify the emotion of anger, and they had more difficulty picking up sadness.
Who is happiest? Examine the data to answer this question on the following variables: age, gender, marital status, martial lifecycle, religion status, and degree of extroversion/ introversion.
Age- younger and older individuals tend to be happier than middle-aged individuals Gender- men and women tend to be equally happy Marital status- married individuals tend to be more happy than unmarried, separated, and divorced people (but could just be because already happy people tend to get married); High to low depression %: divorced twice, cohabit, divorced once, never married, married Marital life cycle- Married without children and from first child leaving home to empty nest until retirement tend to be the happiest stages of a marriage. A marriage tends to be least happy during the teenage years of their children. Religious status- % Very Happy & Felt Closeness to God: those who do not feel close and do not believe in god have the lowest levels of happiness, those who are somewhat close have higher levels of happiness, and those who are extremely close have the highest levels of happiness. Furthermore, new believers are much happier than life-long nonbelievers; not believing in God predicts lower levels of lifetime happiness. Degree of extroversion / introversion: on a Day by Day analysis of happiness amongst introverts and extroverts, extroverts report being happier than introverts.
Which emotion communicated via the voice is most accurately communicated?
Anger
To which facial display of emotion did Ohman et al. discover people are most sensitive? How did they discover this?
Anger is the most sensitive emotion. Ohman did a study of people sitting in front of a computer and it would show an array of facial expressions and the person would have to press the key to recognize the emotion. D.V. - reaction time. Anger ended up being the most sensitive.
What is emotion regulation as defined by James Gross?
Emotion regulation are strategies (conscious or unconscious) used to increase, maintain, or decrease one or more components of an emotional response. Strategies put us down different paths.
Does being well off financially correlate with happiness at the national level? If so, describe the relationship?
At the national level, being financially well off does correlate with happiness. For countries with higher GDP, they tend to have higher levels of happiness. As GDP per capita increase, so do levels of subjective well-being. As wealth goes up, the happier people are.
Compare and contrast the following: Schachter's two-factory theory of emotion, Include main ideas, implications, critiques, etc.
Cannon critiques of James: -ANS is too diffuse, too nonspecific -ANS is too slow (blushing occurs ~15 seconds after embarrassment) -Too insensitive to what is happening to our ANS -Many physiological responses that are associated with other non-emotional factors (fever, feeling sick)
Compare and contrast the following: (b) Cannon-Bard Theory of emotion
Cannon-Bard: physiology activated as one experiences fear; one does not cause the other (relatively independent)
What are the five categories of non-verbal behavior we discussed in class? Name 2 examples of each.
Emblems: nonverbal messages with a verbal counterpart -Middle finger and peace sign Illustrators: speech-linked gestures -Waving and thumbs up Regulators: signs that regulate, modulate, and maintain the flow of speech in conversation -Eye contact and nodding Self-adapters: unintentional behaviors in response to boredom or stress -Touching hair or waiting for an interview and shaking your foot Affective displays: movements that reflect an affective state -Tone of voice such as laughing or crying
what did creationists believe about emotion and how did Darwin's beliefs differ?
Creationists believed that emotion is like language; it is culturally specific, while Darwin's believed that they were passed down from ancestors.
What cues are and are not indicative that a person is lying?
Cues that are indicative that a person is lying include high pitched voice, more tense voice, increased pupil size, more microexpressions, blinking, fewer illustrators. Cues that are not indicative of lying include fidgeting, lips pulled back more, fewer head nods, relaxed posture, nose touching, and averted gaze.
DePaulo asked college students and community members to report their lies for a week. What did she find?
DePaulo found that in the college sample, a total of 1,058 lies were told, and 477 in the community sample. There were only an average of around 2 lies per day for college students, and 1 on average for the community sample. For college, only 1 participant told no lies, and 6 community members told no lies. For both samples, most of the lies had to do with feelings and opinions. 59 of the college lies were not detected, and 57 of the community lies were not detected. 23 of college lies were detected, and 15 of community lies were detected.
What did Ellyson & D (1985) find regarding regulators in relation to high vs low status individuals?
E & D found studies measuring implicit associations demonstrated that individuals viewing pride expressions respond by rapidly, automatically, and unavoidably affording higher status to pride-displaying targets than to targets showing a range of other positive and negative displays
According to Darwin, why should emotional displays be universal?
Emotional displays should be universal because we all have the same facial anatomy, and we all descended from the same species, therefore, there should be universal facial expressions.
Compare and contrast the following: (a) James-Lange theory of emotion,
James-Lange theory of emotion states that we experience emotion because we become aware of our physiology. Perception of bear → bodily response (high H.R.) → emotion (fear). Two big questions from James: 1) is there a distinct autonomic response for each emotion? 2) how much emotion is in the mind vs the body? (William James thought of the body).
From Ohman et al. Provide an evolutionary argument for the researchers' findings using the concept of natural selection.
Evolutionary argument: The sensitivity to fearful facial expressions can be explained by the concept of natural selection. In the course of human evolution, individuals who were able to detect and respond to threats in the environment were more likely to survive and reproduce. Fear is a basic emotion that has evolved to alert us to potential dangers and prepare us for a fight or flight response. Being able to detect fear in others is therefore important for survival. Sensitivity to fearful expressions may have evolved as a way to enhance social communication and coordination during dangerous situations. People who are better able to detect and respond to fearful expressions may have been more successful in avoiding danger and protecting their social groups, which would have increased their chances of survival and reproduction. Therefore, the sensitivity to fearful expressions can be seen as an adaptive response that has been shaped by natural selection.
What is the facial feedback hypothesis? How do the strong vs weak visions differ? What empirical evidence is there to support the hypothesis?
Facial feedback hypothesis- changes in facial expressions influence feeling state. The weak supports it and plays a role, but not determinatively. Empirical evidence- Larsen et al. manipulated stickers on subjects faces to produce sad expressions. They were then asked to rate sadness to aversive photos. Those who had negative expressions rated the pictures as more sad.
Provide 2 emotions as examples that Darwin could point to support his contention that facial displays of emotion were directly adaptive?
Fear is a natural response to danger, and it is characterized by certain facial expressions, such as widened eyes, raised eyebrows, and a mouth that is open and pulled back. These expressions would have been adaptive for early humans because they would have signaled to others that there was a potential threat nearby. This would have allowed the group to take appropriate action, such as fleeing or preparing to defend themselves. Anger is another emotion that would have had specific facial expressions that would have been adaptive. When a person becomes angry, their eyebrows may lower and their eyes may narrow. Their mouth may also tighten and turn downwards. These expressions would have communicated to others that the person was upset and that they should be careful around them. This would have helped to prevent conflict and to maintain social harmony within the group.
Discuss the four primary ways in which men's and women's emotional lives differ.
Females decode expressions more accurately, are more empathic, are more expressive, and sometimes use different appraisal patterns.
According to data from Gross' lab, how are the sympathetic nervous system, experience, and expression influenced by the emotion regulation strategies that have been studied?
Gross's lab had subjects watch neutral film followed by a disgust film Subjects were assigned to one of three conditions while watching disgust film. IV: reappraise, suppress expression, and watch. DV: self-reported disgust, expressions of disgust, sympathetic N.S. activation. For the suppression condition, sympathetic nervous system activation increased (significant), experience was no different from control, and expression decreased. For the reappraisal condition, sympathetic NS activation was no different from control, experience decreased, and expression decreased.
Describe and identify the name of the method he used to study emotional decoding in this group.
He used a Dashiell methodology to study the emotional decoding in this group, which involved showing expression pictures to the subjects and they gave a story about them.
Why did Ekman go to study the non-Westernized Fore in Papua New Guinea?
He went because learning from the media or having contact with people from other cultures could explain why people from other cultures agree about emotions. He needed subjects who had had no access to media or the developed world to test his theories.
How are cortisol levels in rhesus monkeys related to baseline EEG levels (Kalin et al)?
High levels of cortisol are in monkeys and correlate with the right frontal brain baseline
Your friend approaches you and asks "How can I be happy?" You tell them that you just happen to be studying that in your Emotions class. What advice would you give them?
I would refer to Myer's list: 1.Realize happiness does not equal money 2.Control your time (organize, be punctual) 3.Act happy 4.Seek work and leisure that engages skills 5.Exercise 6.Sleep 7.Give priority to relationships 8.Be grateful 9.Do good for others 10.Take care of your "soul" (spirituality) Happy people have high self-esteem, A sense of personal control, Optimism ,Participate in work that is engaging, not too difficult, and not too easy
We discussed 4 aspects / phenomena of emotion where you see cultural variability. List and describe each of these.
In-group decoding advantage -If you decode people from your own culture, you have higher accuracy rates (Americans rating Americans) Display rules ---- Americans and Japanese watched circumcision, US culture= disgust, Japanese culture= tried to mask emotion with smile Ritualized displays -----Indian participants identified a tongue bite expression as embarrassment much higher than US participants Appraisal ----Appraisals are different cross-culturally; celebrating death instead of grieving
What are the primary display rules as described by Ekman? Provide an example of each.
Intensification of emotional displays: intensify expression when others are around ----Laughing harder at a joke you normally wouldn't in private De-intensify emotional displays: reduce emotion ----Power- when you are by a teacher who has power over you (low power) you will change your emotion. Neutralize emotion- blank face ----Poker face Masking of displays with other expressions ---- Smiling when you receive a gift you do not like
Why is it important to know the context in which people are making emotional displays for inferring given emotions?
It is important to know the context because morphology does not always map onto a specific emotion. The shape of facial expressions do not always map onto distinct emotions. For example, some people cry when they are happy.
What environmental explanations might explain why physically abused kids are differentially sensitive to these emotions?
Physically abused kids had a harder time picking up sadness compared to non abused kids. Instead they were able to pick up anger faster. Environmental factors could be abused. Kids have to be able to tell if the abuser is angry or not to be safe and avoid trying to get hit.
Somatic nervous system vs. autonomic N.S.
S.N.S- controlling movement of our skeletal muscles- conscious and voluntary. A.N.S.- controls the glands and muscles of our internal organs - autopilot and unconscious.
Describe Gross' model of emotion regulation including the 5 different ways in which we can regulate our emotions (know the names of the 5 ways). Use an example to illustrate how each of the five strategies of emotion regulation may operate?
Situation selection- exposure to the stimulus ex: test tomorrow in class and you could go to a party or a study session for the exam Situation modification- a situation may be tailored so as to modify its emotional impact Ex: you guys go out and grab a bite to eat and say hey I don't want to talk about the exam. Attentional deployment- select which aspect of the situation you focus on ex: someone calls you out and you end up tuning them out and counting the ceiling tiles. Cognitive change ( reappraisal) - selecting which of the many possible meanings you will attach to that aspect ex: instead of viewing an exam as a measure of your value as human being, you say, "it's just a test" Response modulation- attempts to influence response tendencies once they have been elicited ex: Hiding embarrassment after failing an exam
