PSY 507 Lecture Notes - Trait Theory, Vomiting, Research Question
8 Jun 2022
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Reason and emotion are antithetical (plato, descartes, etc) Emotions are a form of reasoning that guide behavior. Much of reasoning ( cognition ) is influenced by emotion. Difficult to separate emotion from other behaviors and brain processes. Having an emotion relied on ability to perceive, think, remember adn act, so emotions never occur in a vacuum. We therefore define emotions by their function, which is to motivate adaptive behavior. Episodic, relatively short-term, biologically-based patterns of perception, experience, physiology, action, and communication that occur in response to specific physical and social challenges and opportunities . Episodic: temporary, not a mood, affective disorder, or personality trait. Biologically based: most controversial part of definition. Response to specific challenges and opportunities: emotions are usually caused by a person, event, or thought, and help the individual to respond. Testable statement about origin and structure of an emotion. Theories differ on the following unresolved issues: Biological givens, or what aspects of emotion are genetically inherited.
