1. Emotion and Motivation
Emotional Theories

2. Essential Question: Why do people feel as they do?
Robert Plutchik ( )
one of the most influential theorists in the field of emotions
“the study of emotions is one of the most confused (and still open) chapters in the history of psychology.
He pointed out that more than 90 definitions of emotions have been pointed out.

3. Theories of Emotion Emotion
Complex experience that begins with a stimulus and include physiological responses, subjective emotional feelings, and emotional responses.
Physiological responses include changes in heart rate, an increase in blood pressure and perspiration, and other involuntary responses in the autonomic nervous system.
Emotional responses include certain facial expressions and posture as well as such behaviors as crying or stomping one’s feet. The ways in which people express emotions are key to understanding emotions.

4. Theories of Emotion Psychoevolutionary theory
8 primary/basic emotions - fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, anticipation, joy and trust.
These emotions are considiered adaptive for both humans and nonhuman animals because they can help to direct attempts to survive and adjust to changing conditions. For example when people experience fear, they can act to avoid danger; when people experience trust, they can function well in groups.
Emotions with the highest intensity are in the center.
Primary emotions form the middle ring - Vigiliance, Ectsasy Admiration, Terror, Amazment, Grief, Loathing, Rage
Emotions are often mixed

5. Theories of Emotion “I was afraid, so my heart started beating fast.”
Common Sense Theory of Emotion - some stimulus in the environment evokes a subjective emotional feeling, and that feeling leads to arousal of the autonomic nervous system.
Stimulus
Response
Report
Fear
Conscious A
Feeling
Autonomic
response
“I was afraid, so my heart started beating fast.”
Early explanation of emotion was taht some stimulus in the environmnet evokes a subjective, emtional feeleing - leading to to arousal of the automonomc nervous system.
See a Bear- experience fear and then autonomic response (increased heart rate, increase blood pressure, muscle tension)

6. Theories of Emotion
James-Lange Theory - the idea that feelings are based on physiological arousal
Stimulus
Response
Report
F Fear
Conscious
Feeling
Autonomic
response
“My heart started beating fast and I became afraid.”
William James ( ) and Carl Lange ( )
Stimulus in the environment lead to a physiological response (arousal of the autonomic nervous system), and the emotional feeling arises from that response.
Arousal causes fear

7. Theories of Motivation
Cannon-Bard Theory - The stimulus causes subcortical brain activity (in the limbic system). Brain activity creates the emotional feeling (fear) and the physiological arousal at the same time.
Stimulus
Response
Report
Fear
“Seeing the bear made me feel afraid and made my heart beat fast.”
Walter Cannon ( ) and Philip Bard ( )
Bear cause subcortical brain activity (in the limbic system)
Brain activity causes the emotional feeling (fear) and teh Physiological arousal at the same time
It is the bear that simultaneously makes the person’s heart race and makes the person feel afraid.

8. Theories of Emotion
Schachter’s two factor theory - some environmental stimulus cause physiological arousal, but the arousal itself doesn’t lead directly to the emotional feeling
Stimulus
Response
Report
FEAR
Autonomic Interpretation Conscious Response Feeling
“That is one big bear! My heart is beating out of my chest! I’m scared!”
The last few only have physiological and emotional components - They do not include cognitive components
Other approaches emphasize the role that people’s thoughts play into their emotional feelings and behaviors.
Jerome Singer ( ) and Stanley Schahcter ( ) argued that some environmental stimulus cause physiological arousal, but the arousal itself does not directly lead to the emotional feeling.
Rather a person recognizes the arousal, appraises the situation, and responds based on the appraisal.
Explain the picture
If you have ever seen toddler falld own hard, immediately look to the caregiver, and gein to wial if the adult has a look of frozen fear on his or her face - but not if the caregiver laughts and says cheerfully, “You’re okay!” - you’ve seen the two factor theory in practice.

9. Theories of Emotion
Facial Feedback Hypothesis - specific facial expression alter the blood flow to the brain in which turn gives rise to emotional feelings.
Introduced in the 1960s
Redefined in the 1980s by Roberty Zajonc( )
Focuses on the relationship between physiological response and subjective feelings.
Imaginitve studies have been designed to test the facial feedback hypothesis.
One group of parcipants held a pencil in their teeth with their lips not touching the pencil. Holding a pencil this way put each participant’s face in a position resembling a smile.
Another group of partcipants face in position resembling a smile.
Another group of participants held the pencil on their upper lip, sandwiched between their lip and the base of their nose. This hold on the pneicl pu the parcipants faces into what is commonly called a”duck face” pose, with lips pressed together in a pout and protruding-
While holding a pencil, each participant rated a serie of cartoons based on how funny theye were. If the facial feedback influenced response, the smiling parcitipatns should feel happier and rate teh cartoons as funnier than the duck face participatns would. Althought early studies did show this differen more recent work hasn’t always support this idea.

10. Theories of Emotion Discrete Emotion Theories
- there are a specific number of biologically-determined core emotions that are universally shared
Emotions are hard-wired
Universally shared
Silvan Tompkins 8 Core Emotions

11. Theories of Emotion
Discrete Emotion Theories

12. Theories of Emotion
Psychological Constructivism - emotion are not discrete elements that can be identified in a particular part of the brain but they are complex perceptions constructed in the mind from the interaction of sensory input and learned prior associations.

13. Apply it - Prep and Landing Style
Apply one of the motivational theories to each of the characters: Instinct, Drive-Reduction, Incentive, Optimal Arousal
Wayne
Lanny
MaGee
Santa
Reindeer

14. Apply it - Prep and Landing Style
Explain the emotional reaction of the following characters using one of the major theories of emotion - James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schacter-Singer, Common Sense, Facial Feedback
Wayne
Lanny
MaGee
Santa
Reindeer