3. EMOTION
• EMOTION: subjective state involving distinctive behaviors and
physiological changes
• AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DIVISIONS
– SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM:
• “fight or flight”
• prepares the body for action
– PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM:
• “rest and digest”
• prepares the body to relax and recuperate
5. SCHACHTER’S COGNITIVE ATTRIBUTION THEORY:
– Nonspecific feelings of arousal are given emotional
labels
– The label we apply depends on our current situation
EMOTION
11. • FACIAL FEEDBACK HYPOTHESIS: the
facial expression you are making can
impact your mood
–Performing a task while:
• Smiling increases happiness
• Frowning increases sadness
–Botox injections dampen emotions
EMOTION
16. • BRAIN SELF-STIMULATION: animals work to provide electrical
stimulation to particular brain sites
• MEDIAL FOREBRAIN BUNDLE: midbrain-hypothalamus tract
containing many sites for self-stimulation
• NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS: involved in the reward circuit and the release
of dopamine
EMOTION
17. • DECORTICATE RAGE:
sudden intense rage in
dogs with their cortex
removed
• LIMBIC SYSTEM:
emotion network
within the brain
• AMYGDALA: linked to
negative emotions like
fear
EMOTION
18. Figure 11.11 The Limbic System:
Medial Brain Regions Involved in
Emotions
• KLÜVER-BUCY SYNDROME: bilateral amygdala
damage leads to reduction of fear and anxiety
EMOTION
19. EMOTION
FEAR CONDITIONING:
• A tone is paired with electrical shock, causing increased
blood pressure and “freezing”
• Eventually the tone alone can trigger these responses
20. EMOTION
• LOW ROAD: unconscious reactions to threat; info is taken directly
from the thalamus to the amygdala
• HIGH ROAD: conscious processing of stimuli; info moves from
thalamus to the sensory cortex and then to the amygdala
21. • Cerebral hemispheres differ in emotion processing:
– Left hemisphere damage = depressive symptoms
– Right hemisphere damage = cheerful attitude
• Facial expressions are asymmetrical
EMOTION
22. • Different emotions are linked to differences in brain activity…
• But, there is no simple, one-to-one relation between an
emotion and a specific brain region.
EMOTION
26. In humans…
– T has been positively correlated with:
• Ratings of hostility
• Antisocial behavior
• Unprovoked violence
– BUT:
• Administering T does not make people more
aggressive
• T surges in males during puberty; aggression does not
AGGRESSION
27. • Testosterone release is affected by experience
– T levels rise in “winners” and fall in “losers”
– T is linked to displays of
dominance
AGGRESSION
28. • The release of SEROTONIN normally inhibits
aggression
• Low serotonin levels found in:
• Violent drinkers
• People expelled for violent behavior
• Children with poor impulse control
AGGRESSION
36. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN STRESS RESPONSE
• STRESS IMMUNIZATION: mild stress early in life may make it easier to
handle stress later in life
– Rat pups handled by humans were less susceptible to adult stress…
– But only if their mothers comforted them afterward
• EPIGENETIC REGULATION: a change
in gene expression, not in genes
themselves, due to environmental
factors
STRESS
37. STRESS DEPRESSES THE IMMUNE
SYSTEM
• PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY:
studies the interactions of the
immune system with other
organ, hormonal and nervous
systems
• Cortisol suppresses the immune
system, allowing resources to be
used elsewhere
STRESS
