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Bachelor Psychology: Emotion summary
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This summary contains all material covered in the lectures of the course Emotion
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Core Theme: EmotionSummary
Lecture 1: Introduction
Emotions have different aspects → Theories have different focuses
- Feeling
- Cognition
- Motivation
- Expression
- Physiology
- Feelings
1. Evolutionary Perspective
th
19 century belief: Expression of emotions is uniquely human, intended for communication.
→ Darwin: Humans and animals have the same origin
Two central questions
1. how are emotions expressed by animals and humans?
2. Where do emotions come from?
There is support for universal recognition of facial expressions of the Big 6
- Happiness
- Sadness
- Fear
- Anger
- Disgust
- Surprise
Research methods
- Observations in human and animals
- Cross-cultural research
- Judgement of photographs: posed and spontaneous
→ recognition depends on response format and options
→ options limited (only Big 6)
- Expressions in real life are often more subtle than stimuli form tests
- Expressions are often reaction to environmental stimuli (context)
- Not all expressions express emotion
- Dynamics influence interpretation
→ be careful interpretating results of studies
Expression =/= emotion
- ‘’Display rules’’
- Recognition is not always what the person experiences
, 2. Bodily Perspective
General opinion:
Perception → feeling/emotion → Bodily effect
William James:
Perception → Bodily effect → feeling/emotion
Emotion is perception of bodily effect
Important influence
- Central role of autonomic nervous system
- Bodily response influences subjective experience and cognitions
Criticism by Walter Cannon’
If James’ theory is true, disconnection between guts and brain should lead to reduction in
emotions. This is not the case.
- Disconnection of cortex and subcortical regions DOES induce changes
→ cortex inhibits lower brain regions that host emotions
- Bodily response (arousal) is not specific enough for differentiation between emotions
Adaption: Two-factor theory
Arousal + Cognition = Emotion
Perception → Bodily response → Appraisal → Feeling/Emotion
( role of cognition is supported by other research)
3. Cognitive Perspective
- Aristotle: Emotions are Evaluations, depending on our beliefs
- Decartes: Origin of emotions is in the soul. they are about goals, concerns, identity
and can be regulated by thoughts. They are connected to the body and are functional.
Arnold: ‘’Feeling is thinking’’
- Emotions based on evaluations of events
- Direct relation between evaluation and emotion
→ you can predict, infer and regulate emotions
- Emotions are relational (object-focused): link between internal and external events.
→ Action-impulse: toward (attraction) or away (repulsion) from an object
4. Socio-cultural perspective
Social roles, values, duties influence our emotions
- Expression (display rules)
- Experience
Emotions have a social function
- anger makes clear that you do not want something, but it can also help you fighting for
justice
, Integration
Almost everyone agrees that emotions are…
- Functional: for survival and social relations
- build up from different components: motor expression, physiological responses, action
tendencies, appraisal, subjective experience
→ not unique for emotions
additional criteria for emotion
1. relevant to central goal
2. positive or negative value
Difference from other affective processes
- affective processes: emotion, feeling, mood, disposition, preference
- Related phenomena: reflex, drive
Lecture 2: Appraisal
Questions appraisal theories try to answer
1. What starts the process of the emotional response?
2. How can we explain the variation in emotional reaction?
3. Differences in emotional reactions to the same situation? (Individual/time points)
4. Why different situations can elicit the same emotions?
5. Why emotional responses to a situation are appropriate or not?
6. How changes in emotions can occur as a result of development or clinical
disturbances?
→ Goal: cause and differentiation of emotions.
1. similar events can elicit different emotions
VB: when your cat breaks your phone, you are less mad then when your roommate breaks
your phone (on purpose)
- different motives
- different responsibilities
2. different events can cause the same emotion
achieving goals (something that you desire) elicit positive emotions
→ Appraisal theory: cause is the subjective evaluation of event (=appraisal), not the event
itself.
→ important role personal goals, beliefs, expectations
Primary appraisal: automatic (unconscious) evaluation. positive/negative → motivates
approach/avoidance
Secondary appraisal: more deliberate, conscious (can also be unconscious), complex
evaluation (cause, coping) → specific emotions
‘’third phase of appraisal’’= more of a response to the emotion
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