How Cognitive and Biological Factors interact

in EmotionTheories of Emotion

Why might it be evolutionarily adaptive to show emotions?

Read p95-96 of Read p95-96 of JamisonJamison

What convinced Paul Ekman that facial expressions were universal?

How did Ekman adapt his initial research?

What criticisms has he faced?

James - Lange Theory – First we experience the physiological changes then the emotional feeling. (we experience happiness as a result of laughing)

StressStress

Whatever happened to Mr Bendall?

How do people cope How do people cope with stress?with stress?

According to Folkman & Lazarus (1998) people use different strategies in stressful situations.

Problem-focused coping aims to change the problematic situation which is causing the stress. (Can you think of an example?)

Emotion-focused coping aims to deal with the emotions rather than changing the problematic situation. (Can you think of an example?)

Lazarus and Stress Lazarus and Stress Appraisal Appraisal

• According to Lazarus, what matters is not what event occurs, but how we perceive and interpret that event.

• The process of perceiving and interpreting the event is called appraisal.

The Stress Appraisal The Stress Appraisal Process Process

Primary Appraisal

Is the event: –  positive –  negative –  neutral ?

If negative, is it: –  harmful –  threatening –  challenging ?

Secondary Appraisal

Are my coping abilities and resources sufficient to overcome the harm, threat, or challenge posed by the event?

Cognitive appraisal (Richard Lazarus)Cognitive appraisal (Richard Lazarus)

Lazarus and Folkman (1984) propose a model that emphases the transactional nature of stress.  Stress is a two way process; the environment produces stressors and the individual finds ways to deal with these.

Cognitive appraisal Cognitive appraisal (Richard Lazarus)(Richard Lazarus)

Cognitive appraisal is a mental process by which people assessed two factors:

Whether a demand threatens their well being

Whether a person considers that they have the resources to meet the demand of the stressor

There are two types of appraisal:

Primary

Secondary

Primary appraisalPrimary appraisal

During the primary appraisal stage a person will be seeking answers as to the meaning of the situation with regard to their well being. One of three types of appraisals could be made:

It is irrelevant

It is good (benign-positive)

It is stressful.

Imagine there was a snow blizzard. You might consider that the blizzard would not affect you, as you do not have to go to school the following day. You might consider the blizzard a blessing because this means that your exam would be postponed or you can go skiing! The situation could be stressful because you have few supplies and you need to get to the shops and driving would be hazardous.

Secondary AppraisalSecondary Appraisal Further appraisal is made with regard to 3 implications:

Harm-loss refers to the amount of damage that has already occurred. There may have been an injury. The seriousness of this injury could be exaggerated producing a lot of stress.

Threat is the expectation of future harm, for example the fear of losing one's job and income. Much stress depends on appraisals that involve harm-loss and threat.

Challenge is a way of viewing the stress in a positive way. The stress of a higher-level job could be seen as an opportunity to expand skills, demonstrate ability, and make more money.

Empathising with Empathising with others who are in others who are in

stress. stress.

Why do we feel on edge when a character in a film is being chased / threatened etc?

An example of vicarious stress is a study, which involved showing college-student subjects a film, called "Sub-incision" (Speisman et al, 1964).

Show clip

Cognitive Appraisals Cognitive Appraisals Matter Matter

(Spiesman, Lazarus, & Mordkoff, & Davison, 1964)

All participants watch Subincision video, but with different soundtracks:

–  No sound

–  Trauma narrative: emphasized pain

–  Denial narrative: emphasized joyful ceremony

–  Scientific narrative: detached tone

Measured heart rate and self-reported stress.

Cognitive Appraisals Cognitive Appraisals Matter Matter

(Spiesman, Lazarus, & Mordkoff, & Davison, (Spiesman, Lazarus, & Mordkoff, & Davison,

1964)1964)

Who was most stressed?

Most stressed: Trauma narrative

Next most stressed: No sound

Least stressed: Denial narrative, Scientific narrative

Same event, but not the same stress!

Cognitive Appraisals Matter Cognitive Appraisals Matter

(Spiesman, Lazarus, & Mordkoff, & Davison, (Spiesman, Lazarus, & Mordkoff, & Davison,

1964)1964)

The findings of this study support Lazarus’s theory.

It may not be the actual event itself which elicits stress, but a person’s interpretation of it.

Evaluation of Evaluation of Spiesman et al 1964Spiesman et al 1964

Reread page 90 of the Course Companion and write an evaluation of Spiesman et al’s study.

Feel free to use the internet for other sources.

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Support for the effect of Support for the effect of

cognitive appraisal on emotioncognitive appraisal on emotion

Lazarus argued: ‘Cognitive appraisal (of meaning or significance) underlies and is an integral feature of all emotional states’

Study – Lazarus showed participants anxiety provoking films.

GSR and heart rate measures showed that the soundtracks significantly reduced emotional response levels compared with the control group.

The AmygdalaThe Amygdala

The Amygdala is involved in processing emotions and fear-learning.

Remember HM?

Show clip

Being startled: a rapid response

Emotion researcher, Joseph Le Doux has identified brain pathways capable of generating a rapid response. He describes brain circuits that provide either a ‘quick and dirty’ or a slow and (more) reasoned route.

All information is processed by the cortex where emotional responses can be mobilised, but stimulation from the senses that is either very well learned or instinctive can also pass directly to the emotional centres of the brain after the crude analysis that this route achieves.

Via this evolutionary ancient rapid route, a startle reaction can be initiated within thousandths of a second if there is a sudden frightening event.

When speed is of the essence, conscious decision-making and control are too slow to be of help. When you escape you’ll react well before being aware of the danger. The slower, cortical, brain routes allow conscious appraisal which can allow us to modify or override the initial response.

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LeDoux’s Two RoutesLeDoux’s Two Routes LeDoux used animals and lesioned specific

neural pathways to determine the function of the damaged pathways.

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LeDoux’s Two RoutesLeDoux’s Two Routes Findings: Brains structures – the thalamus

and the amygdala play different roles in the generation of emotion.

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LeDoux’s Two RoutesLeDoux’s Two Routes The lower route bypasses the higher brain

structures in the cortex and provides a fast thalamo-amygdala connection involving only one synapse to produce an emotional response.

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LeDoux’s Findings LeDoux’s Findings The ‘higher’ route–so-called because the evolutionarily newer areas such as the cortex are involved – relays information through a more complex route from the thalamus via the sensory cortex to the amygdala.

LeDoux has shown that learning about new fearful situations or altering existing knowledge about fear requires the higher thalamo-cortical-amygdala route to be intact and functioning. However, once fear responses are well learned, lesions to this higher route do not diminish the response, the lower thalamo-amygdala route is sufficient and can take over.

What are the real life applications of Joseph LeDoux’s findings?

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Key pointKey point The higher route which goes via the sensory cortex which

involves higher cognitive processes may be necessary in learning new or modifying old emotional responses.

Once learned the emotional and behavioural response occurs unconsciously and automatically.

Hence when you see a lion you run – you don’t really need to think about it – the fear response occurs without the need for cognitive appraisal first.