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).
OBJECTIVE 11| Discuss the culture-specific and culturally universal aspects of emotional expression, and explain how emotional expressions can enhance survival.
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.
OBJECTIVE 2| Describe the role of the autonomic nervous system during emotional arousal.

11. Physiological Similarities
Physiological responses related to the emotions of fear, anger, love, and boredom are very similar.
OBJECTIVE 4| Name three emotions that involve similar physiological arousal.
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 cognition is intertwined

13. Nonverbal Communication
Most of us are good at deciphering emotions through non-verbal communication.
See if you can spot the face that’s different
In a crowd of faces a single angry face will “pop out” faster than a single happy face (Fox et al. 2000).
OBJECTIVE 8| Describe some of the factors that affect our ability to decipher non-verbal cues.

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.
OBJECTIVE 9| Describe some gender differences in perceiving and communicating emotions.

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.
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?

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.”
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)
men/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).
OBJECTIVE 7| Distinguish the two alternate pathways that sensory stimuli may travel when triggering an emotional response.
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,

22. The Cognitive Link Phelps 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