Measuring Emotion: Behavior,
Feeling and Physiology
Group 2
Hannah Stolarczyk
Kimberly Villalva
Stephanie Regan
Barbara Kim
In the discussion of neural circuits, what is added? Fig. 11.2
• Appetitive and Aversive
motive systems directly
activated by primary
reinforcement
• Plasticity in circuitry
• Circuit can regulate
ongoing cognitive
processing
• Highly processed
stimuli can become its
inputs
Nucleus
Reticularis
Pontis
Caudalis
Potentiated
Startle
Active Defense
Sensory
Thalamu
s
Dorsal
Amygdala
Fight/flight
Central
Gray
Ventral
Behavior
Freezing
Hypothalamus
Autonomic
Nervous
System
Blood
Pressur
e
Increase
What is IAPS (eye-aps)?
International Affective Picture
System
• IAPS is a standardized database
that uses photographs for emotional
Research.
• The categories have neutral,
pleasant, and unpleasant settings,
and have a wide range between
humans and animals.
• The standardized photographs
allow for easy replicability, and a
basis for consistency.
Explain SAM. Why do the authors think it useful?
How does it connect with their theory?
• Self Assessment
Manikin
• Used to report
levels of valence,
attraction/ aversion
activation, and
control
• Assists subjects in
quantifying inner
states
Figure 11.3
Shows a strong relationship
in both Appetitive and
aversive directions
Each structure starts in the
neutral territory,
and stems into areas of
high pleasant arousal
And high unpleasant
arousal.
Figure 11.3
The IAPS distribution
maintains a consistent
shape, supporting the
theory that emotion stems
from two sources and each
varies in the level of
arousal.
What do the authors mean by “distribution?"
Why is this notion important?
• A distribution is an arrangement of
values of a variable showing their
observed frequency of occurrence
• Distribution Importance- it shows
the patters of affective results
– Shows bimotivational structure – the
IAPS distribution has a consistent
shape, supports theory that emotion
stems from two sources(appetitive and
defensive) and each vary in arousal
levels
– Each structure starts in the calm area,
and goes either to the high arousal
pleasant or high arousal unpleasant
quadrant (Pattern of results)
Figure 11.4
Illustrares changes across the life span
– Young Girls distribution is clustered
in 3 groups: pleasant, neutral,
unpleasant
• find pleasant and unpleasant pictures
exciting; don’t have fine
discriminations in arousal
– Mature Women distribution has a
linear relationship between
pleasure and arousal
• find lower arousal in pleasant
pictures than for pictures the rated as
pleasant
– This relationship is even stronger in
adults with anxiety disorders
– Adolescence the distribution is
similar to that for college students
Amygdalectomy patient rated unpleasant pictures
rated as low arousal and also couldn’t respond to
aversive/dangerous situations with urgency.
Flight/Fight response appeared disrupted.