General PsychologyPSYC 200

Emotion & Motivation

Memory confusions

• Retrieval induced forgetting • Explicit and implicit memories• What is subsequent memory?• How much more complex are our memories than our

other high-functioning animals?• Why can we store everything in our mind but be

unable to recall it?• Why does smell evoke the strongest memories?• Why does memory loss happen both short term and

long term

Learning confusions

• Law of effect• Types of schedules• Different elements of classical conditioning

• Update - Food aversions and false memory

Outline

What is Emotion?

Emotional Communication

Happiness

Motivation

Theories of Emotion

• try not to think about theories as “right” v. “wrong” • even “wrong” theories are helpful

• highlight important variables

Idea

Theory

HypothesesResearch

Design

Data

Results

Scientific Method

Observing What

• Define abstract concepts in terms of concrete operations– Operational Definition

• Detect the concrete events that the operational definition specifies– Measure

• Manipulation– Independent variable

• Under control of experimenter

• Measurement– Dependent variable

• “Depends” on participant

Elements of an Experiment

What is Emotion?

Three Different theories of Emotion

First, recut movie trailers and pranks

• Mary Poppins– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic

&feature=related

• The Shining– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmkVWuP_s

O0

• Scary Maze game

James-Lange Theory

• sequence is the opposite of what we think it is• physiological arousal precedes emotional

experience• we cry and then we feel sad

Fear(emotion)

Poundingheart

(arousal)

Sight of oncoming

car(perception of

stimulus)

Cannon-Bard Theory

• physiological arousal and emotional experience occur simultaneously

• doubted that bodily responses were distinct enough or fast enough

Sight of oncoming

car(perception of

stimulus)

Poundingheart

(arousal)

Fear(emotion)

Schachter & Singer “Two Factor” Theory of Emotion

• physiological arousal is nonspecific

• different labels distinguish different emotions

• emotion = general arousal + specific label

Cognitivelabel

“I’m afraid”

Fear(emotion)

Sight of oncoming

car(perception of

stimulus)

Poundingheart

(arousal)

Attribution and Appraisal

• we can misattribute arousal to other factors• extension of Schachter-Singer theory• epinephrine study

• those who just exercised find cartoons funnier• insults more provocative• scary movies more frightening

• sexual arousal can intensify anger • shaky bridge study

and the winner is …• all of them• each emotion does seem to have a distinct

physiological reaction• subtle differences

• physiological reactions often come first• those paralyzed from the neck down report less intense

emotions (e.g. anger) than those paralyzed from the waist down

• cognitive labels influence our emotional experiences

• reframing

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

• facial expressions can trigger emotions• extension of James-Lange theory

Try It

• Hold your pen in your mouth, but don’t let your lips touch your pen

• you are contracting your zygomatic major muscle

• Hold your pen in your mouth with just your lips touching the pen

• difficult to contract the zygomatic major muscle

Botox?

Facial Mimicry

• Have you ever felt yourself “catch” someone else’s mood?

• partly due to automatic imitation of facial expressions = facial mimicry

• smiles• frowns• disgusted looks

• Youtube laughing baby– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HttF5HVYtlQ

II Facial Expressions

• we communicate nonverbally as well as verbally• we evolved to pay attention to faces

• So, is reading facial expressions guided by nature or nurture?

Why study the face?

Universality Hypothesis

• facial muscles speak a universal language• babies and young children• even children blind from birth

• Paul Ekman• showed photos of various expressions to people in different

parts of the world• asked them to guess the emotion

Which Emotion?

• Happy, Sad, Angry, Disgusted, Fearful, or Surprised

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9oxmRT2YWw

http://www.dotolearn.com/games/facialexpressions/face.htm

FACS scores differentiate these expressions:

• FACS was used by computer animators at DreamWorks to develop Shrek

Which is the real smile?

IV Happiness

Do Handout, and discuss with partner

Affective Forecasting

• the good news• we tend to overestimate the misery we will feel after bad

events• getting fired; getting dumped; failing a course; testing HIV-

positive; becoming paraplegic

• the bad news• we tend to overestimate the joy we will feel after good events• winning the lottery; getting our dream job; getting perfect As

• we overestimate the long-term impact of events and underestimate our capacity to adapt

• durability bias

• Does money buy happiness?

“Taken all together, how would you say things are these days?”

Research-Based Suggestions for Increasing Happiness

• realize that enduring happiness does not come from financial success

• take control of your time• act happy• seek work and leisure that engages your skills• get proper rest and exercise• don’t neglect your close relationships• focus beyond yourself; those who do good, feel good• count your blessings and record your gratitude

V Motivation

“What do you think…should we get started on that motivation research or not?”

Basic Ideas

• motivation refers to the cause or purpose of an action

• hedonic principle• we are motivated to experience pleasure and to avoid pain

• sometimes we are intrinsically motivated• actions that are rewarding• eating chocolate; rock climbing; listening to music

• sometimes we are extrinsically motivated• actions that lead to rewards in the long run, but may not be

pleasurable in and of themselves• studying; cleaning; working

Question for today

• You are a 3rd grade teacher and you would like to encourage the children in your class to enjoy reading. Suggestion ways that you might use extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to their maximal advantage. Compare the pros and cons of each.

Hierarchy of Needs

• Abraham Maslow• basic needs must be met before advanced

needs