Emotion

1. Emotion

2. 2. Cognitive Level of Analysis c. Cognition & Emotion • To what extent do cognitive and biological factors interact in emotion • Evaluate one theory of how emotion may affect one cognitive process

3. Biological Factors in Emotion Evolution • Innate responses to emotional triggers • Ekman (1969) responses fit themes – interfere with our desire – anger theme • Emotion Themes result from evolutionary learning – basic themes are etic not emic • Blind kids and people worldwide make same basic expressions

4. Culture & Emotion - Ekman (1969) • Ekman when alone Japanese & Americans display the same, when in public, only certain emotions were displayed – context is key • Fore people of Papua New Guinea – no written language • Could match pictures of emotions to stories • Made faces to account for stories easily interpreted by Americans • No gender differences

6. A B C D E F G H

7. Culture and Emotional Expression When culturally diverse people were shown basic facial expressions, they did fairly well at recognizing them (Ekman & Matsumoto, 1989). Elkman & Matsumoto, Japanese and Caucasian Facial Expression of Emotion

8. Culture and Emotion • In addition to the universal facial affects that emotional stimuli target, a second message calls out the socially learned cultural information about which emotions may be appropriately displayed given the context • Display rules differ in individualist vs. collectivist cultures • These cultural display rules account for the variations in emotions despite our etic facial displays (Ekman, 2003)

9. Biological Factors – LeDoux (1999) • Short route: Sensory Thalamus to Amygdala which yields emotion • What emotions do you think go this route? • Anger, Fear, Stress, Arousing – Sympathetic NS • Long route: Sensory Thalamus to Sensory Cortex to Hippocampus to Amygdala • More depth of analysis (avoid error for ex.) and can add richness to emotions, memories etc. • Flexibility in responses is key

10. Emotions and Autonomic Nervous System During an emotional experience, our autonomic nervous system mobilizes energy in the body that arouses us.

11. Physiological Similarities Physiological responses related to the emotions of fear, anger, love, and boredom are very similar. M. Grecco/ Stock Boston Excitement and fear involve a similar physiological arousal.

12. Biological Factors Gazzaniga et.al 2008 • Case study - S.M. – damage to amygdala – could recognize all emotions on faces except fear • She could not draw a fearful face • She could describe situations about fear • Amygdala is important for emotion but doesn’t process all fears and cognitionis intertwined

13. Nonverbal Communication In a crowd of faces a single angry face will “pop out” faster than a single happy face (Fox et al. 2000). Most of us are good at deciphering emotions through non-verbal communication. See if you can spot the face that’s different

14. Gender, Emotion, and Nonverbal Behavior Women are much better at discerning nonverbal emotions than men. When shown sad, happy, and scary film clips women expressed more emotions than men.

15. Detecting and Computing Emotion Most people find it difficult to detect deceiving emotions. Even trained professionals like police officers, psychiatrists, judges, and polygraphists detected deceiving emotions only 54% of the time. Dr. Paul Elkman, University of California at San Francisco Which of Paul Ekman’s smiles is genuine?

16. Microexpressions • “Micro expressions are very brief facial expressions, lasting only a fraction of a second. They occur when a person either deliberately or unconsciously conceals a feeling.” • http://www.paulekman.com/micro-expressions/ Macro: normal expressions usually last between ½-second and 4 seconds. They often repeat, and fit with what is said and the sound of the person’s voice. Micro: These are very brief, usually lasting between 1/15 and 1/25 of a second. They often display a concealed emotion and are the result of suppression or repression. False: A deliberately-made simulation of an emotion not being felt. Masked: A false expression made to cover a macro expression.

17. Why are they important? • Improve your emotional intelligence • Develop your capacity for empathy • Spot Concealed Emotions • Improve your relationships • Understand others • Recognize and better manage your own emotions • Develop Social Skills Examples • SAT Cheating Scandal • Card Mind reading • Negotiator Clip • John Gottman – Love Lab

18. Nummenmaa et. al., 2013 • Gave subjects two blank computer images of bodies • Shade in where they feel emotions • Shade in where they lose feeling • Composites of images highly correlate across cultures (Finland, Sweden, Taiwan) • http://becs.aalto.fi/~lnummen/participate.htm

20. Cognition Does Not Always Precede Emotion A subliminally presented happy face can encourage subjects to drink more than when presented with an angry face (Berridge & Winkeilman, 2003). Emotions are felt directly through the amygdala (a) or through the cortex (b) for analysis.

21. Cognition Does Not Always Precede Emotion When fearful eyes were subliminally presented to subjects, fMRI scans revealed higher levels of activity in the amygdala (Whalen et al. 2004). Courtesy of Paul J. Whalen, PhD, Dartmouth College, www.whalenlab.info

22. The Cognitive LinkPhelps et. al 2001 • Social learning of fears occurs thru language & creating mental representations of fear that correspond to brain activity • Subjects were told to fear mild electric shocks in the “threat condition” and stress responses responded accordingly in fMRI in amygdala • Shows the link to cognitive nature of modeled fear – no reason to fear other than what they were told i.e. no conditioning • The ultimate combo of Gazzaniga and Phelps– The Slap Bet & Slap 4

23. Cognition and Emotion What is the connection between how we think (cognition) and how we feel (emotion)? Can we change our emotions by changing our thinking?

24. Cognitive Factors in Emotion & Eval. of a Theory – How it Affects a Cog. Process • Appraisal Theory – evaluation of how situations will affect one’s well-being • Lazarus (1984) – appraisal of stress could include threat, one’s resources for dealing with stress • Influenced by motivation, beliefs about oneself & world, environmental variables: nature of threat and social networks • Lazarus (1988) – problem-focused and emotion-focused coping