In-class notes from Dr. Herman's general psychology course in Rutgers (Fall 2023). Contains the following information: emotions, moods, theories of emotion, nervous system, responses, communication, etc.
Emotions - a complex psychological state that involves:
1. Physiological arousal
2. Behavioral/expressive behaviors
3. Conscious/subjective experience including thoughts and feelings
- Proposed by Charles Darwin
- Facial expressions are believed to be innate and allow people to
communicate with each other
- Emotions are absorbed in the body in ~6 seconds
Emotions vs. Moods
- Moods tend to be longer lasting, minutes, hours, and days
- Emotions may only last seconds to minutes
- Emotions are about something specific, such as a person or situation
- Moods are much more diffuse (spread out) with no identifiable object
- It’s easier to identify an emotional trigger but not the cause of a mood
- Moods don’t have unique facial expressions as opposed to universal emotions
- First to study emotion was Charles Darwin in the 1870s
- Evolutionary psychologists believe emotions are the product of evolution ; They
help us adapt to problems proposed by our environment
- We are biologically prepared to learn fears that helped our ancestors survive
- Fear: Avoids potential danger
- Love: seek a mate and care for offspring
- Anger: Defend oneself
- Emotions go well beyond physical survival and guide individuals in all aspects of
life
- Researchers agree that there are a limited number of basic emotions, fear,
surprise, anger, disgust, happiness/joy, and sadness in all humans in all cultures,
however, the emotional experience can be complex
- Emotions can overlap and result in mixed emotions
, - Most commonly classified according to two dimensions:
- Degree to which it is pleasant or unpleasant
- Level of activation or arousal associated with the emotion
- Considered to have a third dimension based on the emotional connection to
other people
- Interpersonal engagement: an emotion dimension reflecting the degree to
which emotions involve other people
Theories of Emotion
1. James-Lange Theory: your feelings follow your body’s response ; Our
experience of emotion is our awareness of our physical responses to emotional
arousing stimuli
2. Cannon-Bard Theory: physical arousal and emotional experience occur
simultaneously
a. Emotion-triggering stimulus is routed simultaneously to the brain’s cortex
(causes the subjective awareness of emotion) and to the sympathetic
nervous system (causes the body’s arousal). However, they believe you
can experience emotion even without sympathetic nervous system arousal
b. Cannon pointed out that bodily reactions are similar for many emotions,
yet our subjective experience of various emotions is very different
3. Two-Factor Theory: To experience emotion, one must be physically aroused
and cognitively label the arousal/experience
a. Proposed by Schachter and Singer
4. Cognitive-Apprasial Theory: theory that emotional responses are triggered by
cognitive evaluation
a. Can’t experience emotional unless we perceive a reason for it
b. Unlike Schachter and Singer, you don’t need physical arousal to
experience emotion
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller jgsm004. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $10.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
