Psychology Chapter 11
Theories of emotions
Mental states or feelings associated with our evaluation of our experiences
Discrete emotions theory- comes from biological thing first. Humans experience a small
number of distinct emotions though they may combine in complex ways
Emotions have biological roots and serve evolutionary functions
Emotions (Limbic System) precede our thoughts about them (cortex)
If evolutionary nature emotions should be universal
Good support for seven primary emotions
o Happiness, disgust, fear, sadness, surprise, anger, and contempt
o Pride may also be a primary emotion
These combine to form secondary emotions
Differences in expression
o Cultures differ in display clues- how and when to express emotion
o Do not influence emotion itself but instead its overt expression
Emotions physiology
o Able to differentiate some primary emotions physiologically
Heart rate increases more with negative emotions
Digestive system slows down with fear
o Not all are different though
Happy and sad look the same in brain scans
Multiple brain regions are active in all emotions
Real vs Fake emotions
o Certain components of facial expression allow us to distinguish when someone is
showing a genuine emotion
o Duchenne vs Pan-Am (fake smiles)
Cognitive Theories of Emotion
Posit that emotions are products of thinking rather than the other way around
No discrete emotions, there are as many emotions as there are kinds of thoughts
Earliest theories were James-Lange and cannon-bard theories
James Lange Theory proposes that emotions result from our interpretations of our bodily
reactions to stimuli
Cannon-bard theory instead says an emotion-provoking event leads simultaneously to
emotional and bodily reactions
Damasio’s somatic marker theory says that we use our “gut reactions” to gauge how we
should act
Two-factor theory states that emotions are produced by an undifferentiated arousal, with
an attribution of that arousal
Unconscious Influences on Emotion
Many emotional reactions may be generated automatically
Subliminal exposure to positive or negative cues influence mood
Mere exposure effect and liking more familiar stimuli
, Facial feedback hypothesis states that you are more likely to feel emotions that
correspond to your facial features
Supporting research, but could be due to classical conditioning
The importance of nonverbal cues
Much emotional expression is nonverbal
o Facial expressions, gestures, postures
Nonverbal leakage is often a powerful cue that we are trying to hide an emotion
Very important to communication
Body Language and Gestures
Posture can communicate emotions, largely in unconscious ways
Gestures can also convey emotions, as through illustrations (emphasis) or manipulators
(stress)
Emblems are more culture-specific gestures
o OK sign, waving thumbs up
Personal Space
Proxemics is the study of personal space
Four levels of distance
o Public (12 feet or more)
o Social (4-12 feet)
o Personal (1.5-4 feet)
o Intimate (0-1.5 feet)
Moderate cultural and sex differences
Lying and Lie Detection
Most people are not good at detecting lies
Little or no correlation between people’s confidence in their ability to detect lies and
their accuracy
Polygraph
o “Lie detector” test that rests on the assumptions of a Pinocchio response
Records autonomic activity
o Yields high rates of false positives
It’s biased against the innocent
o Not admissible in most courts of law
Other lie detection methods
o Guilty knowledge test
o Brain fingerprinting using imaging techniques
o Integrity tests- assess tendency to lie, cheat, or steal
o All have less than perfect records of detecting lies; some have high false
positive rates also
What is Happiness Good for
May produce enduring physical and psychological benefits
Theories of emotions
Mental states or feelings associated with our evaluation of our experiences
Discrete emotions theory- comes from biological thing first. Humans experience a small
number of distinct emotions though they may combine in complex ways
Emotions have biological roots and serve evolutionary functions
Emotions (Limbic System) precede our thoughts about them (cortex)
If evolutionary nature emotions should be universal
Good support for seven primary emotions
o Happiness, disgust, fear, sadness, surprise, anger, and contempt
o Pride may also be a primary emotion
These combine to form secondary emotions
Differences in expression
o Cultures differ in display clues- how and when to express emotion
o Do not influence emotion itself but instead its overt expression
Emotions physiology
o Able to differentiate some primary emotions physiologically
Heart rate increases more with negative emotions
Digestive system slows down with fear
o Not all are different though
Happy and sad look the same in brain scans
Multiple brain regions are active in all emotions
Real vs Fake emotions
o Certain components of facial expression allow us to distinguish when someone is
showing a genuine emotion
o Duchenne vs Pan-Am (fake smiles)
Cognitive Theories of Emotion
Posit that emotions are products of thinking rather than the other way around
No discrete emotions, there are as many emotions as there are kinds of thoughts
Earliest theories were James-Lange and cannon-bard theories
James Lange Theory proposes that emotions result from our interpretations of our bodily
reactions to stimuli
Cannon-bard theory instead says an emotion-provoking event leads simultaneously to
emotional and bodily reactions
Damasio’s somatic marker theory says that we use our “gut reactions” to gauge how we
should act
Two-factor theory states that emotions are produced by an undifferentiated arousal, with
an attribution of that arousal
Unconscious Influences on Emotion
Many emotional reactions may be generated automatically
Subliminal exposure to positive or negative cues influence mood
Mere exposure effect and liking more familiar stimuli
, Facial feedback hypothesis states that you are more likely to feel emotions that
correspond to your facial features
Supporting research, but could be due to classical conditioning
The importance of nonverbal cues
Much emotional expression is nonverbal
o Facial expressions, gestures, postures
Nonverbal leakage is often a powerful cue that we are trying to hide an emotion
Very important to communication
Body Language and Gestures
Posture can communicate emotions, largely in unconscious ways
Gestures can also convey emotions, as through illustrations (emphasis) or manipulators
(stress)
Emblems are more culture-specific gestures
o OK sign, waving thumbs up
Personal Space
Proxemics is the study of personal space
Four levels of distance
o Public (12 feet or more)
o Social (4-12 feet)
o Personal (1.5-4 feet)
o Intimate (0-1.5 feet)
Moderate cultural and sex differences
Lying and Lie Detection
Most people are not good at detecting lies
Little or no correlation between people’s confidence in their ability to detect lies and
their accuracy
Polygraph
o “Lie detector” test that rests on the assumptions of a Pinocchio response
Records autonomic activity
o Yields high rates of false positives
It’s biased against the innocent
o Not admissible in most courts of law
Other lie detection methods
o Guilty knowledge test
o Brain fingerprinting using imaging techniques
o Integrity tests- assess tendency to lie, cheat, or steal
o All have less than perfect records of detecting lies; some have high false
positive rates also
What is Happiness Good for
May produce enduring physical and psychological benefits
