To what extent do cognitive and biological factors interact in emotion? (22 marks)
Command term "TO WHAT EXTENT" - consider the merits or otherwise of an argument or concept. Opinions and conclusions presented clearly and supported with appropriate evidence and sound argument
INTRODUCTION
Damasio (2000) defined emotions as being physiological signals that are a reaction to external stimuli, and feelings arise when the brain interprets the stimuli.
There are different components that comprise the experience of emotion:
Physiological changes - the arousal of automatic nervous systems and endocrine system that are not conscious
Subjective feelings of a person's emotions (e.g. happiness)
Associated behaviour (e.g. smiling)
Ekman et al. identified 6 fundamental emotions
Fear
Anger
Disgust
Surprise
Sadness
Happiness
These emotions are universal, suggesting that emotion is biological rather than cognitive.
Emotions such as fear are caused by adrenaline and cortisol. Anxiety / phobias / panic disorders are a malfunction in the brain's ability to control the reaction.
MAIN BODY
BIOLOGICAL FACTORS
LeDoux's Theory of Emotional Pathways
Suggested that there are two routes of emotion in the brain
Discovered through testing the theory on rats (may be incorrect to generalise to humans)
The two pathways are:
Fast Route - thalamus to amygdala - there is less of logical throught processing, and causes an instinctive motor response (e.g. flight or fight), this is useful in situations of immediate danger
Long Route - thalamus > sensory cortex > hippocampus > amygdala - evaluates and analyses stimuli in order to give a suitable reaction, the thought process takes over the instinctive emotional response
STUDY: LeDoux - Fear in Rats experiment (biological factors in emotion)
AIM: investigate the role of the amygdala
PROCEDURE - Rats were conditioned to feel fear when they hear the sound of a bell (through the use of electric shocks) - Used tracers to establish a pathway - Lesioned and removed the auditory thalamus - Tested again to see if they displayed fear at the bell
FINDINGS - Rats no longer showed fear when the bell rang after their thalamus was removed - In further studies, found that lesions on one site of the amygdala was able to stop blood pressure from rising
CONCLUSION - Biology interacts with emotion
EVALUATION - Low ethical validity - induced fear in the subjects and caused mental harm; caused irreversible physical trauma - Subjects did not have a right to withdraw - It is difficult to generalise to humans
COGNITIVE INTERACTION
Lazarus's Theory of Appraisal
An appraisal must be made in order for emotions to happen
Emotions are influenced by personal characteristics and how these characteristics affect the appraisal
Then they act according to the interpretation / appraisal
Their reaction will be what they suppose to be the best response to the situation
Primary appraisal
An evaluation of the nature of the situation
Is it relevant to my goals?
Is it favourable to my situation?
Who is responsible for it?
Secondary appraisal
Evaluation of ways of coping with the situation
Changing it by making it less threatening
How capable am I of coping with this?
STUDY: Speisman et al. - Audio track interfering with emotion
AIM: to prove the Lazarus's theory that appraisal can interfere with emotions
PROCEDURE - Participants were shown an unpleasant documentary of a traditional coming-of-age ritual of performing a circumcision on boys - Three groups: 1. Trauma group ~ Shown the documentary with a soundtrack emphasising the pain 2. Denial group ~ With a soundtrack that suggested the ritual was joyful - the boys anticipated entering manhood 3. Intellectualisation group ~ With an anthropological interpretation that ignored the pain
FINDINGS - Participants reacted more emotionally in the trauma group compared to other two
CONCLUSION - Because they evaluated the situation as being painful through the soundtrack - Thought it was appropriate to display more negative emotions - as the situation showed potential harm - Shows that through appraising the situation, different emotional responses can be displayed to the same stimuli
EVALUATION - Low ecological validity - lab conditions, controlled environment
Overall, there are different theories about how the two factors interact in emotions. Many argue that Lazarus's theory may be inaccurate, as in situations of immediate danger, the time taken to appraise the situation, a person may not be able to react on time.
However, Lazarus's theory makes sense in situations where the danger is not immediate, as shown in the Speisman study, where the danger is in a video and not something that is directly happening to the participant.
It is very difficult to tell if biological or cognitive factors take place first. The way these factors interact may depend greatly on the situation and whether or not the situation poses an immediate threat to the person or not. In cases of immediate danger, biological factors seem to take over, and instinctive responses such as fight or flight (the release of adrenaline and cortisol) take place.