Cognition and Emotion
(P_BCOGNEM)
Rya Riedweg
2021/22
VU Amsterdam
1
,Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Why study emotions ................................................................................................................................................. 4
What is emotion? ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
How do emotional stimuli affect attention .............................................................................................................. 5
Questions & Controversies ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Historical background ................................................................................................................................................... 5
How do emotions arise ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Neglect of emotions in psychology ........................................................................................................................... 7
How to study emotions ................................................................................................................................................. 8
The nervous system .................................................................................................................................................. 9
Contemporary theories of emotions .............................................................................................................................. 11
Evolutionary theory of emotion .............................................................................................................................. 11
Social constructivist theories .................................................................................................................................. 12
Cognitive appraisal theories.................................................................................................................................... 12
Other Problem with theory of James ...................................................................................................................... 13
Perception, attention and emotion ................................................................................................................................ 17
Sensation and perception ....................................................................................................................................... 17
How emotional stimuli affect perception & attention ........................................................................................... 18
Amygdala and its connections ................................................................................................................................ 21
Emotion and awareness .......................................................................................................................................... 21
Emotion and memory ..................................................................................................................................................... 23
What is memory ...................................................................................................................................................... 23
Can affect enhance memory ................................................................................................................................... 24
is memory better for parts of the scene ................................................................................................................. 25
At what stage does emotion affect memory .......................................................................................................... 26
Effect of mood on memory ..................................................................................................................................... 27
Emotions and Decision-making....................................................................................................................................... 28
What is decision making ......................................................................................................................................... 28
Rationality ............................................................................................................................................................... 28
Types of decision making ........................................................................................................................................ 29
Dual process thinking .............................................................................................................................................. 31
Somatic marker hypothesis..................................................................................................................................... 32
Applied issues in Cognition and Emotion........................................................................................................................ 34
Fascination by lie detection .................................................................................................................................... 34
What is a lie ............................................................................................................................................................. 34
Types of lies............................................................................................................................................................. 34
Lie detection and emotion ...................................................................................................................................... 34
Emotion-cognition interaction to solve applied issues ............................................................................................... 37
Society and morality -> judicial, societal problem .................................................................................................. 37
Emotions and language -> clinical problems .......................................................................................................... 38
2
, Psychopathy -> clinical problems ............................................................................................................................ 38
Emotional disorders ........................................................................................................................................................ 40
Anxiety .................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Depression .............................................................................................................................................................. 40
Daly ......................................................................................................................................................................... 41
Causes of emotional disorders................................................................................................................................ 41
Cognitive processes and biases............................................................................................................................... 42
Treat and prevent psychological disorders ............................................................................................................. 43
Avoidance behavior ................................................................................................................................................ 43
Mindlight for anxiety............................................................................................................................................... 43
3
, Introduction
Why study emotions
• Emotions are an integral part of our lives, they shape our experiences of the world around us
o Memory, Attention, Decision-making, Regulation of social behavior, Communication, Health
• Emotions occur on different levels
o facial expressions, bodily changes, feelings, actions, neural responses
• are shared, but also individual differences
• Disorders of emotional processing (autism, phobias, psychopathy)
What is emotion?
• Problems of definition
• What is difference between emotions, moods, feelings
Emotion
• Definition: discrete and consistent response to an internal or an
external event which has a particular significance for the organism
(Scherer)
o Evoked -> there is a trigger
o Internal -> eg from a memory, realization about something
o Consistent: if you are angry you demonstrate that by a similar way always
▪ Coordinated response of brain, autonomic NS and behavior to circumstances
o Discrete: not prolonged in time
▪ Emotions are brief -> are in a moment
• Emotions are embodied
o Not abstract, can not be observed, you have to have a body to have emotions (can not exist without
body responses)
o Eg when scared release of hormones is required to run away
• Emotions are not very susceptible to topdown control
o Takes time for the body to calm down, can not just turn them of
• Emotions are not encapsulated, penetrate other psychological processes
o “the whole world looks gray when you are sad”
• Biasing actions: when you are scared you run away
• Can be measured with physiological outputs (eg increase in heart beat, neurotransmitter in brain) or
behavioural changes (eg smoke more when anxious)
Mood
• Definition: a diffuse affective state of often lower intensity than emotion, but considerably longer in
duration (-> prolonged)
• Moods are ”states of emotion” (Damasio, 1999) -> tend to become continuous over long periods of time
• More diffuse and objectless than emotions
• More difficult to study because less pronounced responses to triggers
o Same measurement methods as emotions
o Moods are often induced by asking people to recall traumatic events or read negative or positive
statements
Feelings
• Feelings are subjective representation of emotions
o Feelings associated with the emotions are private to the individual
• Some researchers believe that this is the most important component (Mesquita et al., 2007)
• Can only be measured by subjective report
Other aspects of affective life
• Attitudes – relatively enduring, affectively coloured beliefs, preferences and predispositions towards objects
and persons
o You have a believe about people, event -> has a emotional component
o Organizes your behavior
o Makes our world more structured
• Affective style – relatively enduring stable dispositions that bias an individual toward perceiving and
responding with a particular emotional quality, emotional dimension or mood
4
(P_BCOGNEM)
Rya Riedweg
2021/22
VU Amsterdam
1
,Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Why study emotions ................................................................................................................................................. 4
What is emotion? ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
How do emotional stimuli affect attention .............................................................................................................. 5
Questions & Controversies ............................................................................................................................................... 5
Historical background ................................................................................................................................................... 5
How do emotions arise ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Neglect of emotions in psychology ........................................................................................................................... 7
How to study emotions ................................................................................................................................................. 8
The nervous system .................................................................................................................................................. 9
Contemporary theories of emotions .............................................................................................................................. 11
Evolutionary theory of emotion .............................................................................................................................. 11
Social constructivist theories .................................................................................................................................. 12
Cognitive appraisal theories.................................................................................................................................... 12
Other Problem with theory of James ...................................................................................................................... 13
Perception, attention and emotion ................................................................................................................................ 17
Sensation and perception ....................................................................................................................................... 17
How emotional stimuli affect perception & attention ........................................................................................... 18
Amygdala and its connections ................................................................................................................................ 21
Emotion and awareness .......................................................................................................................................... 21
Emotion and memory ..................................................................................................................................................... 23
What is memory ...................................................................................................................................................... 23
Can affect enhance memory ................................................................................................................................... 24
is memory better for parts of the scene ................................................................................................................. 25
At what stage does emotion affect memory .......................................................................................................... 26
Effect of mood on memory ..................................................................................................................................... 27
Emotions and Decision-making....................................................................................................................................... 28
What is decision making ......................................................................................................................................... 28
Rationality ............................................................................................................................................................... 28
Types of decision making ........................................................................................................................................ 29
Dual process thinking .............................................................................................................................................. 31
Somatic marker hypothesis..................................................................................................................................... 32
Applied issues in Cognition and Emotion........................................................................................................................ 34
Fascination by lie detection .................................................................................................................................... 34
What is a lie ............................................................................................................................................................. 34
Types of lies............................................................................................................................................................. 34
Lie detection and emotion ...................................................................................................................................... 34
Emotion-cognition interaction to solve applied issues ............................................................................................... 37
Society and morality -> judicial, societal problem .................................................................................................. 37
Emotions and language -> clinical problems .......................................................................................................... 38
2
, Psychopathy -> clinical problems ............................................................................................................................ 38
Emotional disorders ........................................................................................................................................................ 40
Anxiety .................................................................................................................................................................... 40
Depression .............................................................................................................................................................. 40
Daly ......................................................................................................................................................................... 41
Causes of emotional disorders................................................................................................................................ 41
Cognitive processes and biases............................................................................................................................... 42
Treat and prevent psychological disorders ............................................................................................................. 43
Avoidance behavior ................................................................................................................................................ 43
Mindlight for anxiety............................................................................................................................................... 43
3
, Introduction
Why study emotions
• Emotions are an integral part of our lives, they shape our experiences of the world around us
o Memory, Attention, Decision-making, Regulation of social behavior, Communication, Health
• Emotions occur on different levels
o facial expressions, bodily changes, feelings, actions, neural responses
• are shared, but also individual differences
• Disorders of emotional processing (autism, phobias, psychopathy)
What is emotion?
• Problems of definition
• What is difference between emotions, moods, feelings
Emotion
• Definition: discrete and consistent response to an internal or an
external event which has a particular significance for the organism
(Scherer)
o Evoked -> there is a trigger
o Internal -> eg from a memory, realization about something
o Consistent: if you are angry you demonstrate that by a similar way always
▪ Coordinated response of brain, autonomic NS and behavior to circumstances
o Discrete: not prolonged in time
▪ Emotions are brief -> are in a moment
• Emotions are embodied
o Not abstract, can not be observed, you have to have a body to have emotions (can not exist without
body responses)
o Eg when scared release of hormones is required to run away
• Emotions are not very susceptible to topdown control
o Takes time for the body to calm down, can not just turn them of
• Emotions are not encapsulated, penetrate other psychological processes
o “the whole world looks gray when you are sad”
• Biasing actions: when you are scared you run away
• Can be measured with physiological outputs (eg increase in heart beat, neurotransmitter in brain) or
behavioural changes (eg smoke more when anxious)
Mood
• Definition: a diffuse affective state of often lower intensity than emotion, but considerably longer in
duration (-> prolonged)
• Moods are ”states of emotion” (Damasio, 1999) -> tend to become continuous over long periods of time
• More diffuse and objectless than emotions
• More difficult to study because less pronounced responses to triggers
o Same measurement methods as emotions
o Moods are often induced by asking people to recall traumatic events or read negative or positive
statements
Feelings
• Feelings are subjective representation of emotions
o Feelings associated with the emotions are private to the individual
• Some researchers believe that this is the most important component (Mesquita et al., 2007)
• Can only be measured by subjective report
Other aspects of affective life
• Attitudes – relatively enduring, affectively coloured beliefs, preferences and predispositions towards objects
and persons
o You have a believe about people, event -> has a emotional component
o Organizes your behavior
o Makes our world more structured
• Affective style – relatively enduring stable dispositions that bias an individual toward perceiving and
responding with a particular emotional quality, emotional dimension or mood
4
