Evaluate+the+extent+to+which+cognitive+and+biological+factors+interact+in+emotion

= Biological factors in emotion =

The amygdale is the small structure in the temporal lobe that appears to be critical in the brain’s emotional circuit; it is believed to play a critical role in emotional memories. Studies of animals and humans indicate that stress hormones such as adrenaline are released when strong emotions are evoked. ☜ Amygdale


 *  **: “two biological pathways of emotions in the brain”

1. Short route: goes from thalamus to amygdale 2. Long route: passes via the neocortex and hippocampus → results in emotional response

1. The emotional stimulus is first processed in the thalamus which sends a signal to the amygdala. dfdfdfadfdf || 2. The perception of the potential stressor enables the brain to send signals to the body so that it can prepare for action. dfdfdfadfdf || 3. At the same time, the thalamus sends the information via the indirect pathway to the cortex and hippocampus for closer inspection. fdfdfdfdfadfdf || 4. This results in a more detailed evaluation of the stimulus- an appraisal- and the outcome of this is sent to the amygdale.
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 * What’s the adv **** antage of having direct and indirect pathways to the amygdala? **

→ There is flexibility in response. In the case of danger, the fast and direct pathway is useful because it saves time. On the other hand, the long pathway allows for a more thorough evaluation of situation, with can help people – and animals – to avoid inappropriate responses to situations. media type="youtube" key="VO34Zfq7QSQ" height="351" width="576"

**Cognitive factors in emotion: appraisal** ** What is 'Appraisal'? **

** Why is cognitive appraisal important? **
People are psychological beings who are not simply passively responding to the world- they actively interpret and evaluate what is happening to them.
 * →** Cognitive appraisal is an important part of people’s reaction to emotional stress, and that stress experiences not only physiological.

l Suggestion: an individual’s experience of stress can be moderated by a number of factors, which include appraisal of threat and appraisal of one’s own resources for dealing with stress. These are influenced by personal characteristics such as motivation, beliefs about one’s self and the world and environmental variables such as the nature of the danger and social networks.
 *  **

l Findings: people use different strategies in stressful situations. i. P__roblem-focused coping__: aim to change the problematic situation that causes emotional stress. ii. E__motion-focused coping__: aim to handle the emotions rather than changing the problematic problems.

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l Aim: to investigate if people’s emotional reaction to the unpleasant film could be manipulated. l Procedure: 1. showed participants a film about an initiation ceremony involving unpleasant genital surgery. 2. Showed the film with three different sound tracks. a. Trauma condition: pain and mutilation b. Denial condition: willing and happy c. Intellectualization condition: anthropological interpretation of the ceremony 3. Deliberately manipulated the participants’ appraisal of those events.

l Findings: a. Appraisal can have an effect on the way people cope with emotional arousal. b. It could be seen as support to LeDoux’s model of two biological pathways in the brain in that cognitive appraisal involves the hippocampus.

l Evaluation: a. Laboratory study with manipulation of variables: the issues of artificiality b. Ethical issues: researchers deliberately used deception and put participants in unpleasant situations.

= ** Emotion and a cognitive process: the flashbulb theory ** =

//Flashbulb memory is a special kind of emotional memory, which refers to vivid and detailed memories of highly emotional events that appear to be recorded in the brain as though with the help of a camera’s flash.//
 * What is flashbulb memory? **


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l Aim: to suggest that there may be especial neural mechanism which triggers an emotional arousal because the event is unexpected or extremely important.

l Procedure: a. Participants were asked where they were, what they did, and what they felt when they first learned about an important public occurrence such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, or Robert Kennedy. b. People in the study were also asked if they had flashbulb memories of personal events.

l Findings: a. Of 80 participants, 73 said that they had flashbulb memories associated with a personal shock such as the sudden death of a close relative.

l Evaluation: a. Neisser (1982): People do not always know that an event is important until later. The memories are so vivid because the event itself is rehearsed and reconsidered after the event. What is called a flashbulb may simply be a narrative convention.

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