Lecture 1-2 The Concept of Emotion_2024.pdf

The Concept of Emotion Annabella Osei-Tutu, Ph.D. Slide 1  Overview Human beings are emotional beings. We communicate through verbal and non- verbal expressions of emotions. Some people are very good at detecting other people’s emotion...

The Concept of Emotion Annabella Osei-Tutu, Ph.D. Slide 1  Overview Human beings are emotional beings. We communicate through verbal and non- verbal expressions of emotions. Some people are very good at detecting other people’s emotions, others have a difficulty detecting emotions. Slide 2  Lecture Outline 1. Defining Emotion 2. Detecting Emotion 3. The Effects of Facial Expressions Slide 3  Learning Outcomes 1. Define emotion 2. Identify the 3 components of emotion 3. Learn how to detect various facial expressions Slide 4 DEFINING EMOTION  What is an Emotion? Emotions are psychological responses; It involves an interplay among: 1. physiological arousal 2. expressive behaviors 3. conscious experience (Myers, 2010)  Emotion Elicitors To experience an emotion, certain internal or external stimulus must trigger the process for emotions to occur.  Emotion Elicitors Internal elicitors: include changes in your physiological states (e.g., hunger) and cognitive processes (a pleasant thought)  Emotion Elicitors External elicitors: include changes in your social environment (e.g., noise, death of a loved one). Is emotion the same as feeling or mood?  Emotion versus Feeling A feeling is our subjective experience of an emotional reaction Feelings represent our private emotional experience  Emotion versus a Mood A mood is the mildest form of an emotion; It is a low-intensity, long-lasting emotional state; A mood can last for many hours, or even days Components of Emotion (Myers, 2010)  Components of Emotion: Physiological Arousal 1. Physiology The physiological aspects of emotions are innate or built into the body. Emotions results in neural, hormonal, visceral, and muscular changes.  Components of Emotion: Physiological Arousal During an emotional experience, our autonomic nervous system mobilizes energy in the body that arouses us. This results in change in heartbeat, dilation of the pupil… (Myers, 2010)  Components of Emotion: Physiological Arousal The physiological changes associated with emotional arousal are consistent across cultures. These reactions are nearly universal because they are controlled by the autonomic nervous system.  Components of Emotion: Cognition 2. Cognition The cognition component of emotion is related to the evaluations or appraisals we associate with an emotional arousal  Components of Emotion: Cognition The cognitive processes include our interpretations, memories, and expectations. During an emotional arousal, sensory information goes through the amygdala or through the cortex for analysis. Components of Emotion: Expression 3. Expression The third component of emotion is expression. It includes verbal and non-verbal expressions. Components of Emotion: Expression Emotional expressions are outward signs of what a person is feeling Emotional expressions are typically observable; e.g., changes in face, voice, body, and activity level (Lewis, 2008) Components of Emotion: Expression Emotional expressions are important because they communicate emotion from one person to another. Components of Emotion: Expression Emotions are expressed on the face, by the body, and by the intonation of voice. Is this nonverbal language of emotion universal? Slide 23 Components of Emotion: Expression Can you tell what emotions others are feeling, showing, or expressing?  Components of Emotion: Expression The most basic emotional expressions appear to be fairly universal. For example, smile is the most universal and easily recognized facial expression of emotion.  Components of Emotion: Expression Children’s facial gestures such as joy, sadness, disgust appear to be natural. However, many adult facial expressions are influenced by learning.  Components of Emotion: Expression However, many adult facial expressions are influenced by learning. People from different cultures think about facial expressions in different ways.  Components of Emotion: Expression E.g., People from the US tend to focus on the mouth when interpreting others' emotions, whereas people from Japan tend to focus on the eyes. American Psychological Association. (2011, September 1). Perception of facial expressions differs across cultures [Press release]. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2011/09/facial-expressions Topic Two DETECTING EMOTIONS IN OTHERS Slide 30  Detecting Emotions in Others ▪ People read a great deal of emotional content in the eyes and the faces. ▪ We are good at quickly detecting negative emotions, and even negative emotion words. ▪ Why is that important? 31  Detecting Emotions in Others ▪ Those who have been abused are more sensitive toward seeing fearful faces as angry; ▪ Why might this be so? 32  Detecting Emotions in Others ▪ Women seem to have greater and more complex emotional expression. ▪ Women are also more skilled at detecting emotions in others. ▪ Note that the above statements are overgeneralized. ▪ People tend to attribute women’s emotionality to their dispositions, and attribute men’s emotions to their circumstances. 33  Detecting Emotions Others We also see some emotions as being more “male”; Example anger is often seen as a “manly” emotion. 34  Detecting Emotions Others ▪ The context influences our detection of emotion; ▪ The context includes the physical environment as well as the gestures What emotion is this person on experiencing? (Barrett, 2012) Detecting Emotions in Others: Context Now with the context, you can fully appreciate what emotion is being expressed. The picture shows Serena Williams feeling ecstatic after she beats her sister, Venus Williams, in the 2008 U.S. Open tennis finals (Barrett, 2012)  Detecting Emotions in Others Are there universally recognized emotions? Would you be able to detect emotions of people of other countries, cultures, or groups? (Myers 2010) 38  Detecting Emotions in Others Some facial expressions are universally understood  Detecting Emotions in Others People of various cultures agree on the emotional labels for the following emotional expressions: ▪ Fear ▪ Anger ▪ Disgust ▪ Sadness ▪ Surprise ▪ Happiness  Detecting Emotions in Others ▪ People have more accuracy judging emotions from their own culture.  Effects of Facial Expressions Emotional facial expressions allow us to communicate with others; Others can use this information as an indicator of the way to act in uncertain or ambiguous situations. Effects of Facial Expressions Do our facial expressions influence our feelings? Slide 43  Effects of Facial Expressions Researchers have observed that therapists tend to “catch” their client’s feelings; Parents (non-verbally) communicate their feelings to their children, and vice versa; Friends resonate to each other’s moods. This is known as Emotional Contagion!!! Slide 44  A controversy We know that three components form emotion: 1. Physiology 2. Cognition 3. Expression Which of these components set the pattern of emotional arousal in motion?