Course syllabus. University of Warsaw, Faculty of Psychology. their prominent role in human functioning. In the very

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1 Course syllabus Course title Instructor s name Contact details Affiliation Course format Number of hours Emotion and Motivation Maciej Stolarski, Ph.D. address: mstolarski@psych.uw.edu.pl Office hours (room no. 328; 3 rd floor): Tuesday 12:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Thursday 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. University of Warsaw, Faculty of Psychology Lecture 30 hours Number of ECTS credits 4 ECTS Brief course description Emotion and motivation is a course that provides students with general knowledge on emotional and motivational processes, their origins, and their prominent role in human functioning. It discusses the most fundamental issues within this area, including key concepts of emotion and affective processes, biological bases of emotion, relationships between emotion and cognition, theories of human motivation, and individual and cultural differences in affective functioning. Both classic theories and recent findings within the scope of psychology of emotions will be presented. Full course description The central aim of the present course is to provide students with general knowledge on emotional and motivational processes, their origins, and their prominent role in human functioning. In the very beginning we will reflect on the nature of emotions and their basic functions. Further, we will review contemporary knowledge on biological bases of affective processes, and attempt to track their evolutionary origins. These themes will be followed by a review of main theories in psychology of emotion. Students will also be provided with an overview of major areas of research on emotion, including studies on the interplay between emotion and cognition, expression and regulation of emotion, and individual differences in affective functioning. Subsequently, the issue of motivation will be introduced, followed by a review of major concepts in psychology of motivation. Two final lectures will introduce a broader context for psychology of emotion, discussing the issues of emotion and cultures and positive psychology. During all the classes students will take part in discussions and group working on the abovementioned topics. Learning outcomes A student who completed the course: 1) Knowledge a. Knows functional relations between the central nervous system and affective functioning b. Knows classic theories of emotion and motivation. Is able

2 to define emotion and motivation and knows research methods within this area c. Knows basic theories and is able to define basic concepts of psychology of the Self d. Knows selected theories of regulation of emotion; is aware of factors that influence the effectiveness of affective regulation e. Recognizes the unconscious characterr of the influence of cognitive and motivational processes on perception, reasoning and behavior 2) Skills a. Is able to use a proper theory when attempts to explain particular psychological problems Learning activities and teaching methods Each class (excluding the first one) will comprise four parts: 1) A short test (10 single-choice questions) aiming to check whether students have read and understood a main reading given for a particular lecture (app. 15 minutes) 2) A discussion on the text (app. 10 minutes) 3) Lecturer s presentation (app. 50 minutes) 4) Intuitions: a short preview of the forthcoming lecture topic, including a brief discussion on student s intuitions/earlier knowledge regarding given thematic area (app. 10 minutes) Class meetings will include a mixture of lectures, discussions and demonstrations. Not all important ideas in the readings will be covered in class meetings, and not all important ideas from class meetings will be covered in the readings. List of topics/classes and bibliography Two major handbooks chosen for the course are: 1) Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J. M. & Feldman Barrett, L. (2010). Handbook of emotions (3 rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press. 2) Gross, J. J. (2013). Handbook of emotion regulation (2 nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press. Lecture 1. Emotions: An Introduction What are emotions? Do we need emotions? Basic concepts of emotion Russell, J. A., & Barrett, L. F. (1999). Core affect, prototypical emotional episodes, and other things called emotion: dissecting the elephant. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(5), Lecture 2. Key theories of emotion Classic theories of emotion: James-Lange Cannon-Bard Lazarus & Schacter

3 Frijda s laws of emotions Functions of emotion Key readings: Frijda, N. H. (1988). The laws of emotion. American Psychologist, 43(5), Cacioppo, J. T., & Gardner, W. L. (1999). Emotion. Annual Review of Psychology, 50(1), Lecture 3. Biology of emotions The case of Phineas Gage Evolution of affective brain systems Locationist vs. psychological constructionist hypotheses LeDoux: low and high pathway Lateralization Lindquist, K. A., Wager, T. D., Kober, H., Bliss-Moreau, E., & Barrett, L. F. (2012). The brain basis of emotion: a meta-analytic review. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 35(03), Lecture 4. Emotion and Cognition Lazarus vs. Zajonc: the dispute on the primacy Separate or indivisible? A reflection on the interplay between affect and intellect Subliminal stimuli and affective reactions: the main insights for psychology of emotion Friend or foe? How emotions foster and disrupt our cognitions Assimilating emotion to facilitate thought: (how) is it possible? : Zajonc, R. B. (1980). Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences. American Psychologist, 35(2), Lecture 5. Mood: Models, origins, consequences Key models of mood: Thayer Watson & Tellegen Matthews et al. Origins of mood: What determines our affective states? Individual variations in mood: the role of external and internal factors Consequences of mood Thayer, R. E. (2003). Calm energy: How people regulate mood with food and exercise. Oxford University Press. Lecture 6. Expression and perception of emotion Facial affective expression Microexpressions Lie to me: Can we detect emotional lies? Beyond the face: emotional expression in gesture, voice and posture Empathy

4 Reading others emotion: the role of mirror neurons Ekman, P. (1993). Facial expression and emotion. American Psychologist,48(4), Lecture 7. Regulation of emotion Regulative role of emotion How to manage own emotions? Automatic vs. reflective emotion regulation Influencing emotions of others: the issue of affective manipulation Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: implications for affect, relationships, and wellbeing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), Lecture 8. From animal to human: automatic and reflective affective systems Taxonomies of emotion Plutchik Ekman Jarymowicz and Imbir Evaluative standards: a bridge between emotion and motivation Are there any types of emotions or motivations that are specifically human? Jarymowicz, M. T., & Imbir, K. K. (2015). Toward a human emotions taxonomy (based on their automatic vs. reflective origin). Emotion Review, 7(2), Lecture 9. Key concepts of human motivation What is motivation? Classic concepts of motivation (Yerkes-Dodson, Skinner, Maslow) Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivations Approach vs. avoidant motivations Homeostasis vs. growth motivations Achievement motivation Goal-setting Procrastination Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), Lecture 10. Human motivation in the light of evolutionary psychology The selfish gene as an explanation for human motivation The key ideas in evolutionary psychology Basic emotions in evolutionary strives: anger, envy, love and jealousy Pros and cons of evolutionary psychology of motivation

5 Buss, D. M. (2009). The great struggles of life: Darwin and the emergence of evolutionary psychology. American Psychologist, 64(2), Lecture 11. Self-control and self-directedness Self-control as a motivational mechanism Marshmallow experiment: the power of will Self-control as a muscle: Ego depletion Self-Determination Theory Key Readings: Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle?. Psychological Bulletin,126(2), Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and wellbeing. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68. Lecture 12. Higher-level emotions and motivations: Love, belongingness and altruism Complex needs as a source of motivation Transgressive motivations (Kozielecki) Love as a basic human need Values as a source of motivation (Schwartz) Prosocial behavior: Why do we help each other? Two types of altruism: endo- and exocentric Key readings: Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), Sternberg, R. J. (1986). A triangular theory of love. Psychological Review, 93(2), Lecture 13. Individual differences in affective and motivational processes The Big Two affective traits: Extraversion and Neuroticism Who is motivated by their nature? Conscientiousness as a trait for endogenous motivation Spielberger s trait and state dimensions: Anxiety, Depression, Anger and Curiosity Time Perspective as a cognitive-emotional mechanismm for motivation induction Emotional Intelligence Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2008). Emotional intelligence: new ability or eclectic traits? American Psychologist, 63(6), Lecture 14. Culture, emotion and motivation: Human emotions: universal of culture-specific? The role of culture in shaping individual affectivity Emotions and happiness: World Maps Country-level predictors of happiness

6 Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), Lecture 15. Positive psychology of emotion: from affect to happiness Key assumptions of positive psychology What makes us truly happy: Hedonic vs. eudaimonic visions of happiness Main theories of happiness Happiness: an outcome or a cause (Lyubomirsky, King & Diener, 2005) Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), Assessment methods and criteria Attendance rules Prerequisites Academic honesty Basket A final grade will be assigned based on one s number of points gained in the final exam (a multiple-choice test; weight.60) and their aggregate score from 12 entry tests (single-choice; weight.40). There will be no entry test during the first lecture, and from the remaining 14 classes two worst scores will not be taken into account (absence counts as 0 points). Up to two absences. In the case of more than two absences students will be asked to complete additional work (e.g., to prepare a short Power-point presentation on a given topic). Completed course: Introduction to psychology Students must respect the principles of academic integrity. Cheating and plagiarism (including copying work from other students, internet or other sources) are serious violations that are punishable and instructors are required to report all cases to the administration. None (obligatory course) Remarks -