Ap Psychology: Notes About Emotion

Front 1

The basic components of emotional arousal are:
1)
2)
3)

Back 1

1) physiological arousal
2) expressive behaviors
3) conscious experience

Hint 1

1)when a man and a woman love each other very, very much...
2) they express certain behaviors in order to induce...
3) C.EX!

Front 2

Explain the James-Lange theory of emotion.

Back 2

The theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli

Hint 2

J comes before L

Front 3

Explain Schacter-Singer's two-factor theory.

Back 3

The theory that states in order to experience emotion, one must:
1) be physically aroused and
2) cognitively label the arousal

Front 4

Explain the Cannon-Bard theory.

Back 4

The theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers:
1) physiological responses and
2) the subjective experience of emotion

Hint 4

Cannon burst!

Front 5

Explain the opponent-process theory.

Back 5

The theory that states:
following a strong emotion, an opposing emotion counters the first emotion, lessening the experience according to our cognitive explanation for the arousal

Hint 5

opposites attract

Front 6

Explain the cognitive-appraisal theory.

Back 6

The theory that our emotional appearance depends and changes on our interpretation of the situation we are in.

Front 7

At what level of arousal do we perform best with:
1) difficult tasks?
2) moderate tasks?
3) simple tasks?

Back 7

1) low levels of arousal
2) medium levels of arousal
3) high levels of arousal

Front 8

People experience negative emotions show more activity in what region of the brain?
And what about positive moods?

Back 8

Negative emotions- right prefrontal cortex

positive moods- left frontal lobe

Front 9

How is the "nucleus accumbens" involved with emotions?

Back 9

There is a neural pathway that increases dopamine levels running from the frontal lobes to the nucleus accumbens. This small region lights up when people experience natural or drug-induces pleasures. Electronic stimulation of the nucleus accumbens has triggered smiling, laughter, and giddy euphoria.

Hint 9

Say "nucleus." Does it make you smile? :)

Front 10

Give an example supporting the James-Lange theory.

Back 10

Patients with severed spinal cords report little change in their emotions, hence emotions are generated solely by cognitive means.

Hint 10

What structure SUPPORTS the bulk of our body?

Front 11

Describe the spillover effect.

Back 11

The spillover effect was the discovery that a stirred-up state can be experienced as one emotion or another very different one, depending on how we interpret and label it

Hint 11

sPILLover -->pills---> placebo effect

Front 12

Describe the "low-road" pathway that sensory stimuli may travel when triggering an emotional response.

Back 12

Sensory information runs to the thalamus and then straight the amygdala to acting accordingly, bypassing the cortex and moving very swiftly.

Front 13

Describe the "high-road" pathway that sensory stimuli may travel when triggering an emotional response.

Back 13

Sensory information runs from the thalamus to the sensory cortex and then to the prefrontal cortex before it is sent to the amygdala, allowing thorough analysis of the information.

Front 14

How did Zajonc and LeDoux interpret the route to emotional responses?

Back 14

Both emphasize that some emotional responses are immediate, before any conscious appraisal (a la "low-road")

Hint 14

LeDoux likes it low

Front 15

How did Lazarus, Schacter, and Singer interpret the route to emotional responses?

Back 15

They emphasize that our appraisal and labeling of events determine our emotional response (a la "high-road")

Hint 15

Lazarus wants the label

Front 16

Are children's facial expressions universal? How about blind children?

Back 16

Yes, and yes.

Hint 16

"It's a Small World After All"

Front 17

Describe the biological components of fear.

Back 17

The anterior cingulate cortex processes emotion and sends output to the amygdala, with plays a key role in associating various emotions with certain situations (in tandem with the hypothalamus).

Front 18

What is catharsis, and when is it effective?

Back 18

Catharsis is emotional release that is only effective if:
1) the counterattack is directed against the provoker
2) if the retaliation seems justifiable
3) if their target is not intimidating

However, ultimately catharsis usually fails to "cleanse one's rage" and often leads to more hostility.

Front 19

What is the best way to handle anger?

Back 19

1) Wait
2) Deal with anger in a way that involved neither being chronically angry nor passively sulky (both rehearsing your reasons for your anger)

Hint 19

Stop your tantrum;
don't be glum.
Count to ten;
Do it again.

Front 20

Describe the feel-good, do-good phenomenon.

Back 20

This is people's tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood

Front 21

Discuss the daily duration of emotions.

Back 21

Negative emotion is highest after we just wake up and before we go to sleep (upward facing parabola).
Positive emotion rises gradually and then falls gradually after about seven hours (downward facing parabola).

Hint 21

Emo people:
negative makes them happy face :)
positive makes them sad face :(

Front 22

What is the relationship between wealth and happiness?

Back 22

Money helps avoid pain, but only increases happiness in the short term. Long term, affluence does not increase happiness at either the individual or national level.

Hint 22

Their relationship is similar to modern newlyweds: starts with the honeymoon phase, but then the dives into a divorce

Front 23

Describe the adaption-level phenomenon.

Back 23

This is our tendency to form judgments relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience

Front 24

Describe relative deprivation.

Back 24

This is the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself.

Front 25

List some factors that are not related to happiness.

Back 25

-age

-gender

-education levels

-parenthood

-physical attractiveness