PSYC 3380 Cognitive Neuroscience PDF

PSYC 3380 – Cognitive Neuroscience Emotions Lecturer: Ezgi Palaz, MSc Emotions Emotion is a state associated with stimuli that are rewarding (i.e., that one works to obtain) or punishing (i.e., that one works to avoid). These stimuli often have inherent survival value Guide...

PSYC 3380 – Cognitive Neuroscience Emotions Lecturer: Ezgi Palaz, MSc Emotions Emotion is a state associated with stimuli that are rewarding (i.e., that one works to obtain) or punishing (i.e., that one works to avoid). These stimuli often have inherent survival value Guide us on how to behave, what to avoid or seek out We tag stimuli with emotional states even if they are not naturally affective Emotions Emotions are also critical for guiding social behavior We mentalize (infer) others’ emotions and mental states We mirror (share) others’ emotions and mental states Group living is survivally advantagous. For this, we need to extract information – through mentalizing and mirroring Theories of Emotion Darwin Claimed that human emotions possess continuity with their animal counterparts Documented expressions (External motor outcomes in the face and body associated with emotional states) and observed many are conserved across species James-Lange Theory It is the self-perception of bodily changes that produces emotional experience «One is sad because one cries» Emotion comes after expression Contemporary view: bodily experiences do not create emotions, but they modify emotional experiences Cannon-Bard Theory Theory centered on the hypothalamus’ role in emotions in which bodily responses occur after the emotion itself «One cries because one is sad» Emotions come before expression Papez Circuit and Limbic Brain Papez circuit: cingulate cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus and anterior nucleus of the thalamus Limbic brain: Papeez + amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex Doesn’t differentiate between different emotions Some key regions are secondary to emotions (e.g., hippocampus, hypothalamus) Paul Ekman’s Basic Emotions Dr. Paul Ekman on Expression and Gesture and Their Role in Emotion and Deception (youtube.com) Dr. Paul Ekman on Expression and Gesture and Their Role in Emotion and Deception - Part 2 (youtube.com) Other Contemporary Approaches Feldman-Barrett theory claims all emotions tap into a core affect system that is organized along two dimensions: pleasant-unpleasant and activation-deactivation Rolls theory claims a constructionist approach, concerned with the dimensions of reward and punishment, their presence/absence and intensity Neural Substrates: Amygdala Front of hippocampus Indicated in memory – especially emotional content of memories Important for fear learning and recognizing fear Kluver-Bucy syndrome (monkeys) - unusual tameness and emotional blunting; a tendency to examine objects with the mouth; and dietary changes – objects lose their emotional value Neural Substrates: Insula A small region of cortex buried beneath the temporal lobes Involved in various aspects of bodily perception→ pain and taste perception – disgust (incl. moral disgust) Monitoring the internal state of the body: interoception Lesions can affect disgust perception more than recognition of other facial expressions Neural Substrates: OFC Orbitofrontal cortex computes current value of a stimulus – eat chocolate – eat too much chocolate Linked to subjective reports of pleasantness - not only stimulus related but how it is perceived (expensive vs. cheap) Neural Substrates: Anterior Cingulate Error monitoring – calculate whether an action will elicit a reward or punishment Involved in bodily responses to emotions (e.g., skin conductance, heart rate, blood pressure) Responds to pain – self and other → social aspect, empathy, exclusion Neural Substrates: Ventral Striatum Dopaminergic pathway Reward related – incl. Social rewards Calculates difference between the predicted reward and actual reward Reading Faces Facial identity – fusiform face area Expression recognition & gaze processing – superior temporal sulcus Expressions additionally involve the extended system – amygdala & insula Simulation theory: we come to understand others (their emotions, actions, mental states) by vicariously producing their current state in ourselves Reading Faces Social referencing: The emotional response of another person may lead to avoidance or interaction with a previously neutral stimulus – observational / social learning Capgras syndrome: patients can consciously recognize the person, but they lack an emotional response to them – believe they were replaced with body doubles Eye Gaze Information Eyes inform about emotions Important for one-to-one communication One can infer desire(next move from eye gaze Reading Minds Theory-of-mind: The ability to represent the mental states of others (e.g., their beliefs, desires, intentions). ◦ “what does Sally think?” Empathy: The ability to appreciate others’ points of view and share their experiences. ◦ “what does Sally feel?” Mirror system: Neural circuits or regions that disregard the distinction between self and other