1. UGBS 108 PSYCHOLOGY FOR EVERYDAY LIVING
Session 8 – Learning
Lecturer: Dr. Paul Narh Doku, Dept of Psychology, UG
Contact Information:

2. Session Overview
This session introduces learners to the principles of learning and behavior by surveying relevant theoretical and empirical approaches within learning psychology. The following topics will be reviewed: Meaning and scope of learning, classical conditioning and its practical applications, operant conditioning and its applications, observational learning and its applications, cognitive learning and its applications, transfer of learning and the factors that affect transfer of learning. Understanding these learning theories and principles is an integral part of psychology and other domains of human behavior, such as marketing, sports, health, education and relationships
Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS

3. Session Outline
The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:
Topic One – Defining Emotions
Topic Two - Theories of Emotion
Topic Three - Embodied Emotion
Topic Four - Expressed Emotion
Topic Five - Experienced Emotion

4. Reading List
Refer to students to relevant text/chapter or reading materials you will make available on Sakai

5. Defining Emotion The feeling, such as fear, joy, or surprise, that underlies behavior

6. Emotions are our body’s adaptive response.
Where do emotions come from? Why do we have them? What are they made of?

7. Emotion
Emotions are a mix of 1) physiological activation, 2) expressive behaviors, and 3) conscious experience.
OBJECTIVE 1| Identify three components of emotions, and contrast James-Lange, Canon-Bard and two factor theories of emotion.

8. Emotion Three Components of Emotion
9/7/2018
Emotion Three Components of Emotion
Emotion is….
….a feeling state characterized by physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and a cognitive interpretation.
Figure 9.1 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
©2001 Prentice Hall

9. Summary on defining Emotions
Emotion/affect: Emotions are stirred up states…………a positive or negative response that includes some combination of physiological arousal, cognitions, and behavior
Components of emotion include:
Cognitive: thoughts, beliefs and expectations
Physiological: Internal physical changes related to arousal
Behavioral: Outward signs of an emotional state

10. Experienced Emotion Izard (1977) isolated 10 emotions. Most of
them are present in infancy, except for
Shame, and guilt.
Patrick Donehue/ Photo Researchers, Inc.
Bob Daemmrich/ The Image Works
Tom McCarthy/ Rainbow
OBJECTIVE 13| Name the 10 basic emotions, and describe two dimensions psychologists use to differentiate emotions.
Lew Merrim/ Photo Researchers, Inc.
Nancy Brown/ The Image Bank
Marc Grimberg/ The Image Bank
Michael Newman/ PhotoEdit

11. Basic Emotions Plutchik proposed that there are eight basic emotions
Fear
Surprise
Sadness
Disgust
Anger
Anticipation
Joy
Acceptance

12. Plutchik’s Basic Emotions

13. Basic Emotions
Some have criticized Plutchik’s model as applying only to English-speakers
Revised model of basic emotions includes:
Happiness
Surprise
Sadness
Fear
Disgust
Anger

14. Emotional Expression Emotional states are communicated via
Facial expressions
Certain emotional facial expressions are recognized across cultures
Body movements can signal emotional arousal (hair twisting, facial tics)
Tone of voice can signal emotion (paralanguage cues)

15. Emotion
9/7/2018
The Expressive Component Nonverbal Communication How Well do People Identify Emotions?
Figure 9.7 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Source:
©2001 Prentice Hall

16. Brain Control of Emotion
Limbic system is involved in emotional states
Includes the amygdala, hypothalamus
Frontal lobes modulate emotions (Phineas Gage)

17. Three Theories of Emotion
Does your heart pound because you are afraid... or are you afraid because you feel your heart pounding?

18. Controversy
Does physiological arousal precede or follow your emotional experience?
Does cognition (thinking) precede emotion (feeling)?

19. Commonsense View
When you become happy, your heart starts beating faster. First comes conscious awareness, then comes physiological activity.
Bob Sacha

20. 1. James-Lange Theory
William James and Carl Lange proposed an idea that was diametrically opposed to the common-sense view. The James-Lange Theory proposes that physiological activity precedes the emotional experience.

21. James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Experience of emotion is awareness of physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli
Fear
(emotion)
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
Sight of
oncoming
car
(perception of
stimulus)

22. Emotion
9/7/2018
The Physiological Component A Historical Perspective James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Emotion arises from physiological arousal
Happiness comes from smiling
Sadness comes from crying
Figure 9.2 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
©2001 Prentice Hall

23. 2. Cannon-Bard Theory
Walter Cannon and Phillip Bard questioned the James-Lange Theory and proposed that an emotion-triggering stimulus and the body's arousal take place simultaneously.
1) Cannon suggested that body’s responses were not distinct enough to evoke different emotions. 2) Physiological responses seemed too slow to trigger sudden emotions.

24. Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
Sight of
oncoming
car
(perception of
stimulus)
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
Fear
(emotion)
Emotion-arousing stimuli simultaneously trigger:
physiological responses
subjective experience of emotion

25. Emotion
9/7/2018
The Physiological Component A Historical Perspective Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
Emotion originates in the thalamus
“Body” (physiological systems)
and
“Mind” (emotional experience)
are independently activated at the same time
Figure 9.3 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Source:
©2001 Prentice Hall

26. 3. Two-Factor Theory
Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer proposed yet another theory which suggests our physiology and cognitions create emotions. Emotions have two factors–physical arousal and cognitive label.

27. Schachter’s Two Factor Theory of Emotion
Cognitive
label
“I’m afraid”
Fear
(emotion)
Sight of
oncoming
car
(perception of
stimulus)
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
To experience emotion one must:
be physically aroused
cognitively label the arousal

28. The Cognitive Component Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
9/7/2018
The Cognitive Component Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
Physiological arousal
Sweaty palms
Increased heart rate
Rapid breathing
Cognitive Label
Attribute source of arousal to a cause.
To have an emotion, both factors are required.
Figure 9.9 from:
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology, third edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Source:
Schachter, S. (1964). The interaction of cognitive and physiological determinants of emotional state. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 1, New York: Academic Press.
©2001 Prentice Hall

29. Summary of the Theories of Emotion
James-Lange theory
Environmental stimuli bring on physiological changes that we interpret as emotions
Cannon-Bard theory
Environmental stimuli elicit emotions and bodily responses simultaneously
Cognitive theory
Environment gives us clues that help us interpret physiological reaction

30. Reviewing the three Emotion occurs at the same time as arousal
Arousal + Cognitive label  Emotion
Emotion follows (lags behind) arousal

31. Summary of Theories of Emotion

32. Emotion - Lie Detectors
Polygraph
machine commonly used in attempts to detect lies
measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion
perspiration
heart rate
blood pressure
breathing changes

33. Emotion- A Polygraph Examination

34. Emotion- Lie Detectors
Control Question
Up to age 18, did you ever physically harm anyone?
Relevant Question
Did the deceased threaten to harm you in any way?
Relevant > Control --> Lie

35. Emotion-Lie Detectors
Control
question
Relevant
(a)
(b)
Respiration
Perspiration
Heart rate

36. Emotion - Lie Detectors
Percentage
Innocent
people
Guilty 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10
Judged innocent by polygraph
Judged guilty by polygraph
50 Innocents
50 Theives
1/3 of innocent declared guilty
1/4 of guilty declared innocent (from Kleinmuntz & Szucko, 1984)

37. 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.
OBJECTIVE 10| Discuss the research on reading and misreading facial and behavioral indicators of emotion.
Dr. Paul Elkman, University of California at San Francisco
Which of Paul Ekman’s smiles is genuine?

38. References
Coon, D. and Mitterer, O. J (2013). Introduction to Psychology (13th ed). Wadsworth Cengage learning. Pp
Feldman, S. R, Collins, J. E. and Green, M. J (2005). Essentials of understanding psychology (2nd ed). McGraw-Hill Ryerson. pp
Kosslyn, M. S, and Rosenberg, R. (2006). Psychology in context. pearson. Pp
Weiten, W. (2009). Psychology: Themes and variations (8th ed). cengage learning. Pp
Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS