PSY100EmotionLectureEmotionOverviewofTheories.ppt

PSY100 Emotion Lecture Emotion: Overview of Theories Emotion Happiness Are there Sex Differences in Sexuality? ;Emotion What are emotions? Typical emotions are anger, fear, sadness, and happiness. These emotions are sometimes called basic emotions. Emotions are states that are generated by evaluations or appraisals of the environment (Is this event/object good or bad for me?) Emotions differ from other feelings such as moods or bodily sensations. These other feelings are not elicited by appraisals.;Components of Emotions Emotions have several components: Experiences (I feel …) Physiology changes (bodily changes, neurological processes) Behavior and Expression (facial expressions, actions) Although all components are present during intense emotional experiences, components can occur without other components.;Physiological Responses Older emotion theories (James-Lange theory) assumed that different emotions have distinct patterns of physiological responses. Evidence shows that most emotions activate the sympathetic nervous system, leading to increased heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductance (sweaty hands). Only sexual arousal has a distinct physiological response. ;Skin conductance and Lie-Detection The skin conductance response is used for lie-detection. However, it does not reflect lying. Rather, skin conductance is activated by relevant stimuli. For example, if the murder weapon is a knife, skin conductance will increase more in response to the word knife than to other potential weapons (gun, ax, poison). This is true, even when people tell the truth.;Emotion in the Brain One area of the brain that is frequently linked to emotion is the amygdala (see textbook for picture). Animal studies suggest that the amygdala is particularly responsive to threatening stimuli. However, in recent years it has become possible to study activity in the amygdala of human participants while watching emotional pictures. These studies show that the