Download Emotion

Emotion
An introduction and approaches
to understanding
T. Curwen
Write down 5 emotions
 Are you 100% sure they are emotions?
What is an emotion?
Is an emotion different from:
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moods, sensations, traits, sentiments?
Are emotions:
Dangerous?
Harmful?
Beneficial?
Necessary?
Overview
 Evolution of emotion:
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knowledge
research
approaches
Brain science, physiology, sociology
Emotion - defined
Early work
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Emotions and passions are dangerous
Should rid ourselves of emotion
Moderation to unify mind and morals
Emotion inhibited superiority
Early Behavioural/Cognitive approaches
 Core of emotion is behaviour
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Facial behaviour
Body movements
Evaluation of something in internal/ext. environ
Nature/inclinations to act
Complex reasoning processes that lead to
emotions
Why little interest in emotions?
 Behaviourism was popular during
the 30’s
 Focus on observable behaviours
 ~60’s - 70’s great interest in the
mind developed
Influences on emotion work since 60’s
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Infancy and emotion
Attachment
Neuroscience
Cognitive psychology
Stress
Ethology
Facial Expression
Does LOVE have a facial expression?
Ekman
 Emotion families
 Feelings in emotion families
 Basic vs. complex emotions
Ekman’s Nine Attributes of Emotion
1. Brief
2. Unbidden/Involuntary
3. Unlike a lot of processes
4. Automatic unconscious appraisal
component
5. Quick onset
6. Coherent
Ekman’s Nine Attributes of Emotion
3 Criteria to help distinguish the emotion
7) Signal in the face and body
8) Universal antecedents
9) Physiology
The Physiological Component
A Historical Perspective
James-Lange Theory of Emotion
The Physiological Component
A Historical Perspective
Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
Two-factor Theory
Physiological
Arousal
+
Appraisal
=
Emotion
What emotion is she demonstrating?
Is it an emotion?
Is the context important to interpreting this picture?
What is emotion?
Comparing emotion
Emotion vs. Moods
 Emotion vs. Sensations
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Emotion vs. Trait
 Emotion vs. Sentiment
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Emotion components
The Physiological Component
The Expressive Component
The Cognitive Component
Emotion Definitions
 James, 1884 – “bodily changes follow
directly the perception of the exciting fact,
and that our feelings of the same changes as
they occur is the emotion”
 Barrett & Compos, 1987 – “emotions as
bidirectional processes of establishing,
maintaining, and/or disrupting significant
relationships between an organism and the
(internal/external) environment”
 Lazarus, 1991 – “emotions are organized
psycho-physiological reactions to news
about ongoing relationships with the
environment”
 Frijda & Mesquita, 1994 – “emotions are
first and foremost, modes of relating to the
environment states of readiness for
engaging, or not engaging, in interaction
with the environment”
Emotion
Three Components of Emotion
Evolution and Emotion
Outline
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Elements of an evolutionary approach
Emotions serve functions
Origins of emotions
Basis of social relationships
Evolution of language
Assumptions of Evolutionary Theory
1) Designed for gene replication
2) Selection pressures
1)
2)
Natural selection
Sexual Selection
3) Adaptations
1)
2)
3)
4)
Reproduce our genes
Mating is costly
Fertility
Giving birth is costly
Evolutionary Theory & Emotion
 Evolutionary theory
 How do these evolutionary
theories/approaches apply to
emotion?
Evolutionary Theory & Emotion
 Emotions as adaptations
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Solve problems
• Emotion functions to solve a problem
• Emotions affect our cognitions
• Face presents information to others
Face presents information to others!