10. Neurobiology of Emotions Flashcards Preview

PS1060 - Intro to Biological Psychology > 10. Neurobiology of Emotions > Flashcards

Flashcards in 10. Neurobiology of Emotions Deck (32)
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1
Q

Emotion is a response of the whole organism, what are the 3 components that it involves?

A

Physiological arousal
Expressive behaviours
Conscious experience

2
Q

At what level does physiological arousal occur?

A

Anatomical level & hormonal level

3
Q

At what level do expressive behaviours occur?

A

At behavioural level

4
Q

At what level does the conscious experience occur?

A

At cognitive level

5
Q

What is the evolutionary advantage of emotions?

A

Darwin believed emotions evolved from behaviours that would indicate what an animal would do next in a given situation and these would be advantageous to the animal

6
Q

Why are negative emotions useful?

A

As motivation for moving away from what one doesn’t want

7
Q

What are positive emotions useful for?

A

Motivation for moving towards what one does want

8
Q

Describe James-Lange’s theory

A

They contradicted the common-sense view that emotion causes the physiological response and instead theorised that the physiological response is what then causing the emotion being expressed

9
Q

Describe Cannon-Bard’s theory

A

That the physiological response and emotional response trigger simultaneously

10
Q

Why are neither James-Lange or Cannon-Bard’s theory correct?

A

Because emotions can be induced by stimuli that cannot elicit a peripheral, visceral response (e.g. patients suffering from a spinal cord transection)
&
Visceral responses can often induce an emotional state in the absence of any obvious stimuli (e.g. a racing heartbeat can produce feelings of fear)

11
Q

Describe Schater-Singer’s theory

A

The two-factor theory of emotions - to experience emotion one must: be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal (e.g. I am afraid)

12
Q

What are the two dimensions of emotion?

A

Valance & Arousal

13
Q

Describe a positive valence, high arousal state?

A

Joy

14
Q

Describe a low arousal, negative valence state?

A

Sadness

15
Q

Which system controls our arousal?

A

The autonomic nervous system (ANS)

16
Q

What is the ANS?

A

Part of the NS responsible for control of bodily functions not consciously directed (e.g. breathing, heartbeat and digestive processes)

17
Q

Describe the role of Epinephrine

A

A hormone that increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels in times of emergence

18
Q

Emotions can be expressed by what?

A

The face, the body and the intonation of the voice

19
Q

Describe Ekamn and Friesen’s work

A

They analysed hundreds of films and photos of people experiencing emotions and concluded that they are 6 primary facial expressions

20
Q

Particular brain regions are involved in emotion, but often the same areas seem to be involved in many different emotions, through what experimentation do we know this?

A

Through the electrical stimulation of the septum in rodents

21
Q

How do we know that emotional behaviours must be organised at a subcortical level, with the cerebral cortex normally providing inhibition of emotional responsiveness?.

A

As a result of decorticate cats/dogs responding with unusual aggression to the slightest provocation

22
Q

Describe the features of the Papez Circuit (Papez, 1937)

A

It is the subcortical circuit of emotion

Emotional system on the medial wall of the brain, linking the cortex to the hypothalamus

23
Q

Describe the limbic system

A

Neo cortex => Cingulate cortex => hippocampus => hypothalamus => anterior nuclei of thalamus

24
Q

At which levels of the limbic system do emotional colouring, emotional experience, and emotional expression occur?

A

Emotional colouring = Neocortex
Emotional experience = Cingulate cortex
Hypothalamus = Emotiona expression

25
Q

Outline the evidence for which the limbic system exists

A

Temporal lobe lesion in primates induced Kluver-Bucy Syndrome which meant they had no fear or aggression, deeper regions of the temporal lobe (including sites within the limbic system) were implicated

26
Q

What is the amygdala responsible for?

A

Fear

27
Q

Of you have a lesion in the Amygdala, there is no processing of what?

A

Fear

28
Q

The amygdala appears to be very involved in the ___ of fear as opposed to the ____

A

Perception was opposed to the expression

29
Q

Describe the role of the left hemisphere in terms of emotions

A

It is less involved in the perception of emotion, lesions in the LH can lead to depressive symptoms

30
Q

Describe the role of the right hemisphere in terms of emotions

A

RH is more involved in perception of emotion, specifically facial expression and prosody, lesions in the RH can lead to euphoric symptoms

31
Q

What is prosody?

A

The melody of speech that conveys sincerity, sarcasm etc.

32
Q

Describe Bartles & Zeki’s (2000) findings in terms of love compared with friendship

A

Love compared with friendship involved increased activity in the insult and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and sub cortically in the caudate and putamen (bilaterally)