Emotion I. What is Emotion II. Theories of Emotion III. The Physiology of Emotion IV. Emotional Expression
Emotion Defined: Positive & negative feeling states consisting of patterns of: physiological arousal expressive behaviors conscious experience
Theories of Emotion
The General Situation This is how it seems but no theory of emotion says it works like this.
James-Lange Theory
James-Lange Theory Modern name is this theory is the somatic theory of emotion Evidence that supports this theory: the Facial Feedback Hypothesis Defined: the muscles in the face are capable of changing emotional experience
Some problems for James-Lange Some emotions seem to happen quickly, before our bodies have had a chance to change Physiologically, certain emotions look very similar (fear, anger, excitement) and yet we seem to experience them differently Some studies show that people with body paralysis report similar emotional experiences as people who have use of their limbs
Cannon-Bard Theory
Schachter & Singer s Two Factor Theory Cognitive Label/Appraisal Oh @$%#! That is one huge bear! I m scared!
Schachter & Wheeler (1962)
Lazarus s Cognitive Appraisal Theory Cognitive Label Oh @$%#! That is one huge bear! I m scared
Spiesman et al. (1964)
III. The Physiology of Emotion Important brain areas: Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) Hypothalamus Amygdala The work of Joseph Le Doux
The Lie Detector Test
IV. Emotional Expression Are facial expressions learned or hard wired? Both making and recognizing facial expressions appear to be hard wired Great agreement on facial expression identification across culture Children blind from birth make the same facial expressions as sighted children do
Does the Environment Still Matter with Regard to Emotional Expression? Yes, it does Cultural display rules Defined: The social and cultural rules that regulate the expression of emotions, particularly facial expressions.
Development over the Lifespan I. Prenatal Development II. Newborns III. Cognitive Development IV. Moral Development V. Personality & Social Development
I. Prenatal Development
And the winner is
Zygote: Conception 2 Weeks
Embryo: 2 8 Weeks
Fetus: 9 Weeks to Birth
Teratogens Substances such as viruses and drugs that alter prenatal development Examples Alcohol and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Influenza virus
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
II. Newborns Reflexes: Sucking Rooting Grasping
Newborns Preferences Faces Mother s Voice
Newborns Abilities Imitation/copying human faces
Newborns Abilities Imitation/copying human faces Recognize how something they ve only looked at feels
Newborns Abilities Imitation/copying human faces Recognize how something they ve only looked at feels Remember stories their mothers told, BEFORE THEY WERE BORN!
III. Cognitive Development
Piaget s Stage Model of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor (birth 2 years) Object permanence Preoperational (2 6 years) Egocentrism, conservation Concrete Operational (7 11 years) Hypothetical problem solving Formal Operational (12 adult)
Strengths & Weakness of Piaget s Model Strength: stages show up, in the order he prescribed, in most children around the world Weakness: may have underestimated the capabilities of children
IV. Moral Development
Kohlberg s Stage Model of Moral Development Preconventional (4 10 years) Moral= avoids punishment or obtains concrete rewards Conventional (10 13 years) Moral = gains approval, avoids disapproval, or stated by laws and rules Postconventional (13 adult ) Moral = legal/societal principles or universal principles like justice or the value of human life
Kohlberg According to Rafe Esquith (High school teacher and author of Teach Like Your Hair s On Fire ) Level I. Level II. Level III. Level IV. Level V. Level VI. I don t want to get in trouble. I want a reward. I want to please somebody. I follow the rules. I am considerate of other people. I have a personal code of behavior and I follow it.
V. Personality & Social Development
Temperament An inborn predisposition to consistently behave or react in a certain way.
Chess & Thomas s Temperament Styles Easy (40%): show mostly positive emotions, regular sleeping and eating patterns Slow-to-warm-up (15%): low activity levels, tend to withdraw from novelty, adapt slowly to change Difficult (10%): irregular sleeping and eating patterns, show mostly intense negative emotions
Attachment The quality of the emotional bond between a child and the child s caregiver Assessed by Ainsworth s Strange Situation Secure Anxious-avoidant Anxious-resistant
Parenting
Social Psychology I. Social Thinking II. Social Influence III. Social Relations
I. Social Thinking
Attitudes Defined: A positive or negative evaluation of particular stimuli (such as objects, people, events, ideas, etc ). Attitudes affect actions, but often not as strongly as you d think Actions also affect attitudes (remember cognitive dissonance?)
Attributions Defined: The mental process of inferring the causes of people s behavior, including one s own behavior. An explanation for a particular behavior
What Biases Can Occur When Explaining the Behaviors of Others? Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) Defined: The tendency to underestimate situational factors and to overestimate personal factors when explaining the behavior of others. Example: type casting (assume actors are really like the roles they play) Limitations: seen more often in Western and individualistic cultures
The Just World Phenomenon The tendency to believe that the world is a fair and just place and therefore, other people get what they deserve and deserve what they get.
What Biases Can Occur When We Explain Our Own Behaviors? Self-serving bias: tendency to attribute one s successes to personal factors and one s failures to situational factors (seen more often in individualistic cultures) Self-effacing bias: tendency to attribute one s successes to situational factors and one s failures to personal factors (seen more often in collectivistic cultures)
II. Social Influence
Obedience Work of Stanley Milgram & The Milgram Experiment
Conformity Milgram was a former student of Solomon Asch, who studied conformity
The Milgram Experiment Participants told the study is looking at the effect of punishment on learning One participant will be a Teacher and the other with be a Learner and people draw straws to see which will be which
Question What percentage of the participants will go all the way to 450 volts? 65%! Everyone tested went at least to 300 volts
Factors that Increase Obedience Authority figure close by Authority figure perceived as legitimate Authority figure associated with prestigious institution Learner distant and depersonalized No role models of defiance
III. Social Relations
Stereotypes and Prejudice Stereotype: A cluster of characteristics that are associated with all members of a particular group. (usually includes many characteristics that are unrelated to the actual group) Prejudice: Negative attitudes towards people who belong to a particular group. (prejudice is a particular kind of stereotype)
Factors that Foster Prejudice Out-Group Homogeneity Bias Outsiders seen as all the same In-Group Bias Insiders given more of a break Natural Tendency to Categorize Vivid Cases Confirmation bias and availability heuristic Just World Phenomenon
Reducing Prejudice The Robbers Cave Experiment Aronson s Jigsaw Classroom Book Title: Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching Compassion after Columbine