Psychology

2/6/14

Warm-up

• Take 5 minutes to complete your business plan & turn it into the homework bin.

What are emotions?

1. Physiological arousal2. Expressive behaviors3. Conscious experience—thoughts & feelings

How do these three come together?

• James-Lange Theory: Arousal causes emotion

• Cannon-Bard Theory: Arousal and emotion occur simultaneously (thalamus sends signals)

• Schachter-Singer (Two-factor) Theory: Arousal + cognition causes emotion

Arousal

• Autonomic Nervous System: Sympathetic (stress) & Parasympathetic (peace).

• Low arousal is best for difficult, unfamiliar tasks. High arousal is best for easy, well-rehearsed tasks.

• Called the inverted U function.

Physiology of emotions

• Though emotions all feel different, many of them share physiological similarities.

• Brain activity from fear, anger, and sexual arousal are all incredibly similar.

Physiology of emotions

• Brain differences: circuits used• Negative emotions: right frontal lobe• Positive emotions: left frontal lobe

• Left frontal lobe: more dopamine receptors• “Lateralization of emotions”• Nucleus accumbens: a cluster of neurons that

receives info from frontal lobes. Relates to drug use (cocaine, etc.), smiling, laughing, etc.

Cognition & emotion

• Spillover effect: an arousal from one event influences your response to the next.

• If you have been exercising and someone makes you angry, you will respond with greater intensity.

• Intense argument intensifies sexual passion (make-up sex!)*

• This supports Schachter-Singer: emotion is fueled by arousal & channeled by cognition.

*Mr. Phillis does not endorse any of you engaging in sexual intercourse.

Subliminal emotions…

• Cognition does not always accompany emotions.• Primed happy face = 50% more fruit drink• Primed sad face = substantially less• A fear stimulus can trigger responses with or

without cognition.1. Stimulus -> thalamus -> amygdala -> response2. Stimulus -> thalamus -> sensory cortex ->

prefrontal cortex -> amygdala -> response

Amygdala’s neural messages

• Sends more messages to the cortex than it receives.

• Our feelings take precedent over thinking more often than vice versa.

Richard Lazarus

• Called cognitive appraisal theory• Even when we do not fully process

information cognitively, there is still thinking to appraise if something is a threat: you decide on an appropriate emotion.

• Do you buy into this?

Opponent-process theory

• Emotions work in pairs• When one emotion is triggered, the other is

suppressed.

Evaluating theories of emotions

• James-Lange: arousal leads to emotions• Cannon-Bard: arousal accompanies emotions• Schachter-Singer: arousal + cognition =

emotions• Lazarus: cognitive appraisal theory

• Which theory do you find to be most legitimate? Why?

Nonverbal communication

• Nonverbal cues (handshake, eye contact, body language, tone of voice {anger}, etc.)

• Our ability to understand nonverbal cues is impacted by culture, experience (angry/scared faces) & evolution.

• Introverts can read emotions better, but extroverts are easier to read.

• Emotional intelligence: ability to understand & control emotions

Women vs. Men

• According to Judith Hall (1984, 1987), women are generally better than men at reading emotional cues

• IT IS TRUE!!!

• Women are better at spotting lies (DePaulo, 1994)—damn.

• Women are more adept at identifying romantic/posed couples (Barnes & Sternberg, 1989).

Personal emotional responses

• Women express more complex emotions than men (bad vs. bittersweet; happy & sad).

• Greater emotional responses in positive and negative situations.

• Women describe themselves as more empathic (ability to identify with others).

• Women react more to emotional events—both externally and in brain scans.

Detecting emotions…

• Detecting lies & truths: people were 54% correct.

• College students, psychiatrists, court judges, police officers, & polygraphers all were around 50%.

• Secret Service agents, CIA agents, clinical psychologists, & LA interrogators were significantly above 50%.

Polygraphs

• How do they work?Detect heart rate, breathing rate, perspiration, blood

pressure• Problems?Suspects are aware (variation of Hawthorne Effect?) &

may manipulate responses.• Polygrapher tricksProvoke obvious emotional reactions—“Did you ever take

anything that did not belong to you?”Draw card from stacked deck—identify card by “using

polygraph.”

Without trying to deceive?

• In a 10-second clip, people can determine if a teacher likes or dislikes the student they are addressing.

• CRAP

Homework

• I Can See It All Over Your Face!

• Finish emotion: pages 532-544