PSYC 1101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Digestion, Coping With, Learned Helplessness
6 Jun 2018
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Notes on Emotions, Stress, and Health
Introduction to Emotion
Emotion: Arousal, Behavior, and Cognition
● Emotion → a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2)
expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience
Heart pounding + quickened pace + thoughts (is this a kidnapping? + feeling of panic)
● Bodily arousal before or after emotional feelings?
● How do thinking and feeling interact?
Historical Emotion Theories
James-Lange Theory: Arousal Comes Before Emotion
● Emotions due to actions
● James-Lange Theory → the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our
physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli
Cannon-Bard Theory: Arousal and Emotion Occur Simultaneously
● Physiological responses too slow and too similar to cause emotions
● Cannon-Bard Theory → the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously
triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion
● Physical response and emotion occur at same time
● If this is true, people should not experience emotions differently after spinal cord injuries
but those who have lost sensation from the neck down experience emotions differently
i.e. less physiological and more mental
Schachter and Singer Two-Factor Theory: Arousal + Label = Emotion
● Conscious interpretation of arousal
● Two-factor theory → the Schachter-Singer theory that to experience emotion one must
(1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal
● Spillover effect - one leftover emotion from a previous event can carry over into another
event
● Can “catch” emotions from others
Zajonc, LeDoux, and Lazarus: Does Cognition Always Precede Emotion?
● Have emotions before interpreting situation
● Subliminal messages such as a suggested emotion can affect the outcome of a situation
even if the person doesn’t have time to process the message
● LeDoux – emotions sometimes take ‘low road’ – fear provoking stimulus goes directly
from eye/ear to amygdala allowing quicker responses
● Amygdala lets thinking rule feelings – supports Zajonc’s ‘some emotions involve no
deliberate thinking”
● Lazarus – some emotional responses do not require conscious thinking
● We must be conscious of the situation to have emotions about it
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● Fear something even if we know facts about it
● Highly emotional people may personalize events
Embodied Emotion
● Emotions sometimes involve physical responses
Emotions and the Autonomic Nervous System
● Sympathetic division of autonomic nervous system (ANS) mobilizes body in crisis
○ Adrenal glands release epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine
(noradrenaline)
○ Liver pours glucose into bloodstream for energy
○ Respiration increases to burn sugar
○ Digestion slows diverting blood from internal organs to muscles
○ Pupils dilate
○ Sweat to cool body
○ If wounded, blood clots more quickly
● Yerkes-Dodson law – arousal affects performance in different ways, moderate arousal =
optimal performance
● Too little or too much arousal can have negative effects on performance
● When crisis is over, parasympathetic division of ANS calms body
The Physiology of Emotions
● Facial expressions are not particular to different cultures
● Smiles are used in social situations
● Faces of one particular emotion are often judged by the situation that that face is in even
if the emotion doesn’t match the situation
● Cultures that encourage individuality are more likely to have people that openly express
emotions that cultures that don’t
● Different features of how emotion is expressed are more valued/important signs of
emotion in different cultures
● Emotion can be a biological feature
The Effects of Facial Expressions
● Show outward signs of emotion to feel those emotions
● Facial feedback effect → the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding
feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness
● Face feeds feelings, doesn’t just display them
● Behavior feedback effect → the tendency of behavior to influence our own and others’
thoughts, feelings, and actions
● Posture and stride-length can portray emotions and confidence
Experiencing Emotion
● Many distinct emotions
● Negative vs positive valence and low vs high arousal
Anger
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Emotion a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience. James-lange theory the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli. Physiological responses too slow and too similar to cause emotions. Cannon-bard theory the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological responses and (2) the subjective experience of emotion. Physical response and emotion occur at same time. If this is true, people should not experience emotions differently after spinal cord injuries but those who have lost sensation from the neck down experience emotions differently i. e. less physiological and more mental. Schachter and singer two-factor theory: arousal + label = emotion. Two-factor theory the schachter-singer theory that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal. Spillover effect - one leftover emotion from a previous event can carry over into another event.
