Class 9: Motives, Emotions, and Perception

1. Class 9: Motives, Emotions, and Perception

2. M. H. Erdelyi on New Look and Unconsious New Look not about consc/unc. but about interactions between external stims and internal states. New Look about "constructions" of reality What is perceived is in fact inferred (Bartlett). Evolution of New Look approach Bartlett (New Look 0) -- percepts reconstructed out of intellective/cognitive needs (coherence, intelligibility, schemas) Freud (New Look -1) -- percepts also influenced by emotions (emotional acceptability, emotional integrity).

3. War of the Ghosts: The Power of Schemas What Students Heard One night two young men from the Egulac went down to the river...Then they heard war cries and thought: "Maybe this is a war party". ... Now canoes came up,...There were five men in the canoe, and they said: "What do you think? We wish to take you along. We are going up the river to make war on the people". One young man joined them. And the warriors went ... to a town on the Kalama. The people came down...and they began to fight, and many were killed. The young man heard one warrior say "...that Indian has been hit." He thought "Oh, they are ghosts" So the canoes went back to the Egulac, and the young man went to his house. And told everybody ..."Behold I accompanied the ghosts...They said I was hit but I did not feel sick.." When the sun rose he fell down. Something black came out of his mouth. He was dead. Sir Fredrick Bartlett, 1886-1969 What Students Recalled (Modified for Comic Effect) Two blokes were on holiday by the Thames when some ruffians approached them and lured them into rowdy cavorting. Well of course no good came of it, and the young master who went along was seriously hurt, and had to go home and be nursed by his poor sick mother.

4. Jacoby, et al. Uncon. definitely exists—question is how and where it influences thought and behavior. Uncon defined: psych states (thoughts, behaviors) that lack conscious control Is uncons. an uptown gent or a downtown dude? a. clean, dry, cognition-based entity b. dirty, wet, emotion/need based entity c. Jacoby agnostic on this question

5. Evidence of "Cool" Unconscious Amnesiacs -- recall of negative events (pin prick), word stem completions and priming. Blindsight patients -- can't consciously see, but behave as if they did see. Prsopagnosia --Can't consciously recognize face, but show GSR to familiar faces. Normals -- mere exposure, perceptual fluency, implicit covariation

6. Jacoby et al. Method -- Memory Dissociations • Noise Judgments -- Ease of processing and rating of background noise. • Study 1: Background noise more/less loud for previously heard sentences? • Study 2: Background noise more/less loud for emote. arousing sentences? • False Fame -- Mistake familiarity of name with fame of named person. • Unconscious influence -- Question of control • Method of Opposition -- false fame effect is strong under distraction, weak under non-distraction--even when all Ss told that List 1 was non-fame.

7. Jacoby vs. Greenwald Greenwald -- two senses of unconscious 1. Unconscious perception 2. Unconscious/automatic influences on memory Jacoby -- Both issues subsumed by cognitive control May be aware of event in moment, but then forget this awareness. However "damage done", learning occurred. We just forgot that it occurred. "Subliminal messages" might be consciously seen, then forgotten, due to distraction.

8. Pooping Babies: Biological States, Primed Goals, and Emotional Reactions Shidlovksi & Hassin, 2011

9. Emotions Serve Goals Old View: Emotions once seen as obstacles to goals, and self control New view: Emotions can abet goals 1. Provide feedback on progress [HOW SO?] 2. People prefer emotions that advance goals: Anger, excitement [WHY?] Emotions modulate goal-related behavior. Act as “accelerator” or “brake” Unconscious goals can therefor affect conscious emotions.

10. Study Design Goal Relevant (peak fertility Ss) Goal Irrelevant (low fertility Ss) Motherhood Prime Neutral Prime Motherhood Prime Neutral Prime Disgusting Stim Disgusting Stim Goal Relevant Goal Irrelevant Goal Relevant Goal Irrelevant How disgusting is this picture? 1 – 9 [MEASURES GOAL-REL. EMOTION] How much want to establish family? 1– 9 [MEASURES CONSCIOUSNESS OF GOAL]

11. Disgust Ratings Due to Stim, Prime, and Physio. State Goal-Related Stim (Runny Nose Baby) Goal-Unrelated Stim (Rotten Vegs.)

12. Questions and Issues with "Pooping Babies" 1. How is this model similar to Winkielman et al. unconscious emotions model? What is the precondition that both models share? Unc. Emotions: Must have relevant motivational state (i.e. thirsty). Unc. Goals: Must have relevant motivational state (i.e. fertility) 2. Unexpected outcome #1: Low fertility women primed with "motherhood" esp. disgusted with snotty baby. Why? 3. Unexpected outcome #2: High fertility women, regardless of prime, are less disgusted by gross things unrelated to babies. Why? 4. Problems with study? a. Very high attrition -- lost over 50% of subjects b. No replication--just single study. Psych. Sci. should require rep. c. Generalizability: What other motivational states are like fertility?

13. Social Support and Slant Perception(Evidence of "Smart" Unconscious?)Schnall, Harber, Stefanucci, & Proffitt (2008) Conscious slant perception of hills is exaggerated (5% is seen as 20%, etc.). • Slant distortion is lessened under lower physical load • -- Light back pack vs. heavy back pack • -- Physically refreshed vs. fatigued • -- Good physical cond. vs. poor cond. • -- Younger vs. older Is slant distortion reduced under lower psychological load?

14. Study 1: Do hills appear different when alone vs. with a friend? Participants Passersby at campus walk Alone (n = 14) Same-sex friend pairs (n = 17; both participate) All wear heavy backpack, face steep hill Measures Verbal: “How steep is this hill, in degrees?” Visual Judgment: hand protractor Haptic: palm board Hand protractor Palm board

15. Social Support and Slant Verbal: p < .05 Visual: p < .06 Hapitic p < .93 Note: Line represents actual slant

16. Friendship Duration (in months) Verbal r = -.49, p < .05 Visual r = -.50, p < .05 Haptic r = -.14, p = ns Mood (negative) Verbal r = -.01, p = ns Visual r = -.13, p = ns Haptic r = .01, p = ns Effects of Friendship Duration and Mood on Slant Perception

17. Study 1 Alternative Explanations Instrumental support Social Desirability Social Facilitation Sampling bias Study 2 Remedies n = 36, 49% female Imaged other: Positive, Neutral, Negative Random Assignment

18. Slant Study 2: Imaged Support and Slant Perception Verbal p < .05 Visual p < .04 Haptic p > .73 Note: Line represents actual slant

19. Correlations Between Relationship Quality and Slant Perception Verbal Visual Haptic Measure Measure Measure Close -.37* -.36* .10 Warm -.33* -.28 .22 Happy -.39* -.20 .12 Notes: Effects retained when controlling for mood * = p < .05

20. Resources and Distance PerceptionHarber, Iacovelli, & Yeung, in prep • Will psychosocial resources also moderate distance perception? • Will self-worth serve as resource?

21. Self Worth Induction Boosted: Image best success Unchanged: Image doing laundry Depleted: Image worst failure N = 107, 63% female

22. Distance Estimation Task

23. Target Objects Low Threat High Threat

24. Distance Accuracy as a Function of Object (Threat v. Non-threat) and Self Worth

25. Distance Accuracy as a Function of Object (Threat v. Non-threat) and Self Worth

26. Evidence of Self-Worth Moderation Neutral Object Distance Tarantula Distance * p < .05

27. Self Esteem, External Support, and Height JudgmentsHarber, Yeung, Valree, & Escobar, in preparation PHOTO LOOKING DOWN STAIRWELL N = XXX, XX% female, age = XX.XX

28. Do resources moderate height judgments? Does trait self esteem operate as a resource? Do internal resources supplement external resources?

30. Self Esteem, External Support, and Height Perception

31. Self Esteem, External Support, and Height Perception

32. Conclusions • Resources affect the perception of : Others’ distress (baby cries) Distance to stressors (tarantulas) Heights Hill slants • Similar effects derive from different resources: Social support (baby cries, hill slant) Emotional disclosure (baby cries) Self worth (distance to tarantula) Self esteem (height) • Resources may enhance coping by moderating stressor perception

33. The “I” Sees Through the Lens of the “Me”.

34. The Symbolic Power of Money Shou, Vohs, & Baumeister Money is a social resource: Increases confidence that problems can be solved, needs met. More money reduces reliance on others Money can influence, attract others Predictions: Desire for money increases after social exclusion, phys. pain Handling money reduces pain of exclusion, of phys. pain Recalling spending money increases social, physical pain

35. Social and Physical Pain and Perceptions, Attitudes Towards Money Expt. 1: Social Exclusion and Money Procedure: Ss included (everyone wants you) or excluded (no one wants you). Ss draw coins Ss select favored things surrendered for $10 million Ss asked to donate to orphanage Results: Excluded Ss 1. draw larger coins 2. Surrender more favored things 3. Give less to charity Expt. 2: Phys. Pain and Money Procedure: Ss primed for neutral or pain Ss draw coins Ss select favored things surrendered for $10 million Ss asked to donate to orphanage Results: Pain-primed Ss 1. draw larger coins 2. Surrender more favored things 3. Give less to charity

36. Money as Distress Buffer Expt. 3: Money Buffers Exclusion Procedure: Ss count out money OR paper slips Ss included (gets equal ball-tosses) or excluded (gets fewer ball tosses). Ss rate social distress Results: Excluded Ss more distressed, but NOT if they could first handle money. Expt. 4: Money Buffers Pain Procedure: Ss count out money OR paper slips Ss receive pain (hand in hot water) or don't receive pain (hand in tepid water). Ss rate physical pain Results: Hot waters Ss more pain but NOT if they could first handle money.

37. Money NOT Just a Distraction Expt. 5: Spent Money Worsens Exclusion Procedure: Ss recall spending $$$, or the weather Ss included (gets equal ball-tosses) or excluded (gets fewer ball tosses). Ss rate social distress Results: Excluded Ss more distressed, esp. if recalled spending money. Expt. 6: Spent Money Worsens Pain Procedure: Ss recall spending $$$ or the weather Ss receive pain (hand in hot water) or don't receive pain (hand in tepid water). Ss rate physical pain Results: Recalling spent money worsens pain, for Ss in Pain Condition.

38. Comments on Zhou, Vohs, & Baumeister 1. Extremely clear writing. Not much jargon, simple, direct sentences, easy to understand. 2. Demonstrate "Systematic Replication": Why important? a. Addresses alternative explanations b. Demonstrates reliability of effects c. Demonstrates generalizability of effects. 3. Sample and problems of generalizability 4. Relation to Freud -- mind/body issue?