PSYB64H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex, Facial Nerve, Rhesus Macaque
Document Summary
An emotion has 2 major components: 1. Emotions demonstrate valence: a positive or negative reaction to an object/ event. A possible advantage of emotions is its contribution to general arousal; emotions provide the arousal needed to trigger a response: dodson- yerkes: observed that arousal interacts with complexity of a task to predict performance. Simple tasks-e. g. outrunning predator- greater arousal= superior performance. Complex tasks- we see deficits in performance when arousal is too high-> e. g. performing badly on an exam due to anxiety/ stress. Emotions manage approach and withdrawal behaviours relative to environmental stimuli: positive emotions associated with eating= seeking food when hungry, negative emotions elicited by a snake or rotten food = avoidance -> survival advantage. Emotions also help us communicate: nonverbal communication: use of facial expressions, gestures, & body language -> communicate feelings & ideas. Humans pay most attention to face-> mainly eyes. Movement of the face= controlled by 2 cranial nerves: 1.
