Part 1 Intro to Psych Class 5 21114 To the psychologist alone can such questions occur as Why do we smile when pleased and not scowl Why are we unable to talk to a crowd as we talk to a single friend Why does a particular maiden turn our wits so upsidedown ID: 465314
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Slide1
Emotions: Part 1
Intro to Psych
Class # 5
2/11/14Slide2
“To the psychologist alone can such questions occur as: Why do we smile, when pleased, and not scowl? Why are we unable to talk to a crowd as we talk to a single friend? Why does a particular maiden turn our wits so upside-down?
The
common man can only say,
"
Of
course
we smile,
of course
our heart palpitates at the sight of the crowd,
of course
we love the maiden! And so, probably, does each animal feel about the particular things it tends to do in presence of particular objects. To the lion it is the lioness which is made to be loved; to the bear, the she-bear. To the broody hen the notion would probably seem monstrous that there should be a creature in the world to whom a
nestful
of eggs was not the utterly fascinating and precious and never-to-be-too-much-sat-upon object which it is to her
.”
- William James,
The Principles of Psychology, Volume 2Slide3
What’s the point James is trying to make?
Of course all of these things seems natural to us, but the reason they do is not because they are logical truths or facts.
They emerge from aspects of our biological nature that are subject to chance
HUH?Slide4
ASK YOURSELF:Why does poop smell?Why does chocolate taste good?
Why do we love our children?
Why do we get angry when people hit us?
Why do we feel good when someone does us a favor?
Subject to Chance???Slide5
They seem SO BASIC as to be obviousBUT ARE THEY?
The first step to insight is to ask ourselves questions that are so basic but that have an answer that is difficult to put to words
Why is our flesh warm?
Why does water turn solid when it gets cold?
The questions to ask…Slide6
What we’re going to talk about today and Thursday
Why they exist?
What they’re there for?
How they work?
EmotionsSlide7
Wrong Theory of Emotions
Lt. Cmdr. Data
Android
Described as:
Competent & Capable
Lacking emotion
http://youtu.be/yNMspTxy2yA
As illustrated by STAR TREK!Slide8
Mr. SpockHalf-Vulcan, Half-Human
Also described as:
Capable & Competent
Lacking emotion
Spock no emotion:
http://
youtu.be/dNd1OQeQhjs
Spock with emotion:
http
://
youtu.be/k9vHopyEtzs
Wrong Theory of EmotionsSlide9
Common sense says “Gee, if I could only think rationally and reasonably and not let my emotions guide my behavior, I’d be much better off!
WRONG!
Wrong Theory of Emotions Slide10
Steven Pinker, on what drove Mr. Spock:
“Spock
must have been driven by some motives or goals. Something must have led him to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no man had gone before. Presumably, it was intellectual curiosity that set him to drive and solve problems. It was solidarity with his allies that led him to be such a competent and brave officer. What would he have done if attacked by a predator or an invading Klingon? Did he do a handstand, solve a 4 color map
theorem
?
Presumably, a part of his brain quickly mobilized his faculties to scope out how to flee and how to take steps to avoid a vulnerable predicament in the future. That is,
he had fear
.”
Wrong Theory of EmotionsSlide11
Without emotions to drive us we would do nothing at all
Everything we do has a basis in our emotions
EMOTIONSSlide12
How can we illustrate this connection between emotions and how we live our lives in a scientific way?By studying the unusual or unfortunate cases of individuals who seem to have “lost” their emotions
Who remembers Phineas Gage????
Emotions & ScienceSlide13
Phineas Gage!28 year old railroad worker who took a 13lb metal rod to the face and brain & lived to tell the tale
Was a nice, respectable, reliable, and trustworthy fella before his accident
A family man
Gage & EmotionsSlide14
But after his accident?He became “fitful and irreverent, indulging at times in a gross display of profanity, manifesting but little deference for his fellows, impatient of restraint or advice, a child in his intellectual capacities and
manifestations. He
had the animal pleasures of a strong man. His foul language is so debased that women are advised not to stay long in his presence
.”
Antonio
Damasio
,
Descartes’ Error
Gage & EmotionsSlide15
Couldn’t hold a job, lost his family, and ended up in the circus, travelling around with his metal rod, telling his taleIndividuals with brain damage like Gage’s, to the frontal cortex, lose their ability to care about things, or to prioritize.
Gage & EmotionsSlide16
These are not men who have lost their emotions. They are men who have lost a large part of their emotional
capacity
Emotions set goals and establish priorities for us
Without them we wouldn’t do anything; we couldn’t
do anything
Your desire to go out with friends, have a relationship, raise a family: all priorities set by your emotions
Emotional CapacitySlide17
What do we “read” to figure out what emotions another person is experiencing???Their face!
How can we tell another person’s emotions?Slide18
Facial expressions are one of the most important ways in which we communicate our actions
http://
youtu.be/umhb95CyyUk
Paul Ekman, psychologist and foremost expert on emotions and facial expressions
FacesSlide19
Lower your eyebrows and draw them togetherTense your upper and lower eyelidsSTARE (bulging eyes are ok)
Press your lips together; make the corners straight or point down
What emotion is this face?
ANGER!
Make a face!Slide20
Can You Read People’s Emotions?From The New York Times
website, October 3, 2013
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/well-quiz-the-mind-behind-the-eyes/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_
r=2
POP QUIZ!Slide21
Raise the corners of your lips back and upRaise your cheeksRaise your lower eyelids
What face is this?
SMILE!
Make another face!Slide22
Smiles are UNIVERSALYoung children smileBlind children smile
Smiles are not uniquely human
Smiles & EmotionsSlide23
Smiles are social signalsNot all smiles = happyPeople smile when they wish to COMMUNICATE happiness
Example: Professional Bowlers
Example: Olympic medalists
http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ818um6bfw
Smiles & EmotionsSlide24
Smiles of GreetingAlso called a “Pan Am smile”
Big and FAKE
Politicians are known to give Pan Am smiles
Types of SmilesSlide25
Smile of Genuine HappinessCan you spot the difference?
It’s all in the eyes
Duchenne
Smile
1 out of 10 people can fake a
Duchenne
smile
Types of SmilesSlide26
Coy (or appeasement) smile
Very specialized smile
A smile of stress or embarrassment
No eye contact, and you kinda
turn your head away
Given when you want people to like you, include you, or get people to feel positively about you
Usually in a high stress situation, often with some sort of risk
Types of SmilesSlide27
Different smiles have psychological validityDifferent smiles to represent different moods, emotions, thoughts
Example: Babies
When mommy approaches: genuine smile of happiness
When a stranger approaches: greeting smile
Example: Married Couples
Smile of genuine happiness vs greeting smile when they see each other
Smiles & MoodsSlide28
Basic emotionAll human have it in some degreeEven nonhumans have it
Non-social emotion
Not an emotion based solely on interaction with other people
You can be afraid of falling off a cliff (doesn’t involve another person)
FearSlide29
Distinctive facial expression
Example: Lee Harvey Oswald is shot
Man in the white hat
His face is fear & anger
FearSlide30
What are we afraid of?Snakes, spiders, heights, storms, large animals, darkness, blood, strangers, humiliation, deep water, leaving home alone
What do these have in common?
Also scary to our ancient ancestors:
All through evolution these have been scary to us
Represent things that can harm or kill us
FearSlide31
What are we less afraid of?
Guns, cars, electrical outlets
Less harmful to us throughout our evolution
Are things we can avoid to protect ourselves
Similar fears have been found in primates
What are inner city kids in Chicago afraid of?
Guns? Violence? Knives?
Nope – snakes and spiders
These naturally cause fear & concern, their environment doesn’t
FearSlide32
Emotions toward our kinEmotions toward our non-kin (but who we interact with)
Focus on emotions that generate altruistic or kind behavior
Social EmotionsSlide33
Are animals merely survival machines? Do they have emotions?Not according to evolutionary theory
Example:
Animal with Gene A
: cares for its offspring, loves & nurtures them while they grow up
Animal with Gene B
: cares only for itself, doesn’t care for its young, they’re left to fend alone and likely die
Social EmotionsSlide34
Which Gene is likely to survive and carry on through reproduction?Gene A: According to natural selection, Gene A will live on through the generations because it focuses on REPRODUCTION, not survival
Reproduction is the key to “survival of the fittest”: those with the right genes will survive; those with other genes won’t
Social EmotionsSlide35
Another perspectiveThe Cold Virus
Why do you sneeze when you get a cold?
Think about it from the virus’ perspective…
It wants to reproduce. How can it do that?
It needs to occupy other bodies. But how can it get there?
It needs to be propelled to other bodies. By sneezing!
Social EmotionsSlide36
Viral ReproductionA
powerful virus would skip the respiratory system & go straight for
the body’s
control center: the brainImagine a virus that infects an animal, takes over its brain & modifies it to make the animal go around biting people so the virus can reproduce. FREAKY!
And also called RABIES
Social EmotionsSlide37
A baby crying: what does it mean?
It’s a distress call, but it has to be done just the right way
It must be annoying enough for us to want to help
feed me! Pick me up!
Can’t be so annoying that the people around want to kill you
We are wired to respond to the distress call because it is extremely annoying
I’m coming, baby, but only because it will make you shut up!
Social EmotionsSlide38
Good thing babies are so cute!
But do not be tempted to say “
Isn’t it wonderful that the way nature works is that babies are cute?”Slide39
Human babies are not metaphysically cuteThey’re cute because that’s how our brains are wired
They’re cute because there are certain cues that correspond to the way our brains are wired
Studies in adults reveal a bias toward individuals with “baby face”
Why are babies cute?
AWWW!Slide40
Baby faces in adults are perceived to mean the person is naïve, helpless, kind, and warmIn Mock Trials, people with baby faces are more likely to be found innocent that people with non-baby faces
Baby Faces
What the hell?!Slide41
Cupboard Theory (Skinner)Babies’ attachment to their parents is because the parents provide
food
Because
of operant conditioning the baby is drawn towards the adultAlternative Theory – Bowlby
Babies are drawn
to
their mother
for comfort and social interaction as well as fear of strangers
Babies & UsSlide42
Harlow: experiments with primates using wire mothers and cloth mothersTo see which the baby monkey preferred: food only or comfort and warmth only?
Wire mothers: gave food only
Cloth mothers: gave warmth and comfort only
http://
youtu.be/CU9jKlNK1Qc
Babies & UsSlide43
Baby Face Man or Testosterone Face Man?
Quiz! Who is Sexier?