Responsible for storage/retrieval of memories, especially ones tied to emotions (serves as control for basic emotion and drives)
Mnemonic: Hippo wearing a HAT. Hypothalamus, amygdala, thalamus, and hippocampus.
Thalamus – sensory relay station, everything you hear/taste/etc. end up in thalamus, which directs them to appropriate areas in cortex.
Emotions contingent on senses.
Smell is only one that bypasses the thalamus – goes to areas closer to amygdala.
Amygdala – aka aggression center.
If you stimulate amygdala, produces anger/violence and fear/anxiety.
If you destroy it, get mellowing effect.
Kluver-Bucy syndrome – bilateral destruction of amygdala, can result in hyperorality (put things in mouth a lot), hypersexuality, and disinhibited behavior.
Hippocampus – key role in forming new memories. Convert short to long-term memory.
If destroyed, still have old memories intact, just can’t make new ones.
Hypothalamus (below the thalamus, tiny) – for limbic system, it regulates the ANS (fight or flight vs. rest and digest).
Controls endocrine system.
Emotions: Cerebral Hemispheres and Prefrontal Cortex
Role of cerebral cortex in emotions. One way is in terms of the L and R hemispheres.
Positive emotions evoke more activity on left side, and negative emotions evoke more activity on right side.
Little kids playing in group – more social kids had more activity in left hemisphere, and isolated kids more activity in right.
More positive, cheerful people had more activity in left, more depressed and timid had more in right
Dividing into functional divisions – focus on prefrontal cortex
Responsible for many higher-order functions, everything that distinguishes humans.
Executive control – solve problems, make decisions, how you act in social situations.
Phineas Gage had iron rod penetrate his prefrontal cortex. After incident, rude and rough, behaved inappropriately.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and Physiological Markers of Emotion
Physiological changes that occur which aren’t under your control due to the ANS.
Has 2 branches – sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest).
Sympathetic: pupils dilate, decrease in salivation, increase respiration/heart rate/glucose release/adrenaline, decrease in digestion
Three Components of Emotion and the Universal Emotions
Emotions are subjective experiences accompanied by physiological, behavioural, and cognitive changes. All interrelated
Physiological components – when surprised HR increase, muscles tense, temperature increase.
Cognitive – vary person to person, they’re mental assessments that can include thoughts and assessments of situation. Cognitive experiences result from emotions, and can cause emotions.
Behavioural – emotions may bring about behaviours.
Emotions are temporary, and can be negative or positive. Also vary in intensity. They’re involuntary.
Paul Ekman found 6 universal emotions identified by everyone around the world
happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger and surprise. Consistent expressions across culture.
Darwin hypothesized ability to understand emotion is an innate ability that allowed them better survival.
Theories of Emotion
Emotion is made of 3 components: cognitive, physiological, and behavioural responses. Which come first?
James-Lange theory – (Physiologically based) experience of emotion is due to perception of physiological responses.
Holding pet cat, increased HR/neurotransmitters/smile, then happiness. When sad, don’t cry because you’re sad, you’re sad because you cry.
physiological arousal followed by aggressive emotions (not simultaneous)
Physiological à Emotion
Cannon-Bard theory – disagreed with James-Lange, noticed many different emotions had same physiological responses. Believed physiological response and emotion occurred simultaneously.
Simultaneously experience arousal and aggression
Physiological = emotion
Schachter-Singer – physiological and cognitive responses simultaneously form emotion. We don’t feel emotion until we’re able to identify reason for situation.
Arousal and interpretation of arousal leads to aggressive emotion.
Physiological + Cognitive à Emotion
Lazarus Theory – experience of emotion depends on how the situation is appraised (labelled).
Stimulus à labelling situation (cognitive) à emotion + physiological response.
How we label event is based on cultural/individual differences.
Interpretation of event leads to arousal and aggression
Cognitive –> Emotion + Physiological
People perform best when they are moderately aroused – the Yerkes-Dodson Law
Defined as people tend to perform at their optimum ability when they are moderately emotionally stimulated
Extremely emotional or non-emotional people are less likely to perform their best
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