Lecture 1

Dualist Approach

• Emotions are contrasted with that which is rational and reasoned
• Emotions play a central role in psychological conflict

• Separation of mind and body
• Emotions should be in control because it is a negative thing
• Opposite of rational and reason
• emotions play a central role in psychological conflict

Functionalist approach

Analysis of something in terms of how it functions

• fxn vs form: defining anger
• 1) reaching out for retaliation (fxn)
• 2) as the boiling of the blood around the heart (form)

sympathetic nervous system arousal = physiological arousal

• the perception of physiological and bodily changes that cause the emotion
• Stimulus –> physio. arousal changes –> perception of changes = emotion
• physio. changes are CRUCIAL

• your body is doing something different at each emotion
• ex. facial expression, body movement (Guilt will look different to anger)

• internal organ of the body
• heart, liver, etc

Awareness of the unique physiological state

• CNS activates both brain and spinal cord
• PNS activates autonomic and somatic
• Autonomic activate sym and parasym
• Sympathetic system activate the emotions

• constrict pupils
• increase saliva
• decrease HR
• increase digestive fxn
• tear
• stends to exert influence on target organs individually

• dilates pupil
• decrease saliva
• increase HR
• decrease digestive fxn
• sweat glands
• goose bumps
• tends to respond as a whole

• visera are insensitive structures (too differentiated)
• same visceral changes occur in diff. emotional states + in non-emotional states
• too slow to be source of emotional feeling
• artificial induction of visceral changes doesnt produce emotion
• total separation of viscera from CNS does not affect emotional behavior

adrenaline does not produce emotion

• Gave adrenaline shots to naïve subjects
• Subjects describe experience

• Results
• 30% report some emotion (usually anxiety, sadness)
• 70% report “as if” experiences
• Evidence AGAINST James-Lang Theory

Adrenaline does not produce emotional experience

Dog (sympathectimized) still learn to jump over the barrier to avoid shock

stimulus –> perception of stimulus –> CNS activation (in thalamus) –> Emotion (feeling, arousal, behavior)

stimulus –> physio. arousal –> perception of arousal labeled based on cognitive assessment of situation –> emotional behavior and expression

• James-Lang theory
• Schachter's 2-factor theory

• given epinephrine or placebo
• place in euphoria or dysphoria condition

• Results:
• • In euphoria w/ Epi condition ppl had more positive emotions
• • In dysphoria w/ Epi condition ppl had more negative emotions
• • No diff. in self reports

• The same physio. state in diff. contexts will produce diff. internal labels
• physiological arousal is necessary in order to exp. emotion

• did not get diff. label or else they would have labeled it so
• data does not provide evidence the physio. arousal is necessary
• block arousal to show this (need to take away what is essential to show this)

• No evidence that the physiological state produced different internal labels
• Placebo group & epinephrine-ignorant group no differences in emotion S-R in anger or euphoria conditions
• no evidence for different internal labels

• Their data provide no evidence for this
• Must block arousal in order to show this.
• More angry behavior in the Epinephrine-Ignorant group compared to Placebo, only shows that arousal can enhance emotional behavior
• Does not show that arousal is necessary for emotion