Emotion, Day 2
Emotion is Multifaceted
 Emotion
refers to the mix
of:
1. Physiological Arousal
2. Expressive Behaviors
(how you react to the
physiological arousal)
3. Conscious Experience
(how you cognitively
interpret environment)
Facial Expressions Are Universal
 No
matter what part of the world you are
from, facial expressions indicating 6 basic
emotions tend to be universal.
Facial Expressions Are
Universal

The six universal emotions are:
1.
Happiness
Anger
Interest (not an emotion)
Disgust
Surprise
Sadness
Fear
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Why the Universality?
 Evolutionary
argue?
Perspective would
Context Affects Interpretation
of Facial Expressions

Because of the
context, many
interpret the bottom
monster as fearful
while seeing the top
monster as angry even
though they have the
same facial expression.
Cultural Differences In Emotion
Expression (Different Display Rules)
 Although
the facial language is universal
worldwide, cultures differ in how much
emotion they express.
 Western cultures like North America
often have intense, prolonged emotional
displays while some Eastern cultures like
Japan often hide their emotions,
especially when the emotion is negative.
Effects of Facial Expressions
 Do
we smile because we
are happy, or are we happy
because we smile?
 There is an interplay
between the emotion and
our expression of it. The
muscle contractions
associated with emotions
tend to amplify that
emotion.
Biology of Fear
 The
body’s control
center for
learning/enacting
fear is the
amygdala.
 Loss or damage to
one’s amygdala has
lead to fearlessness
in some patients.
Must Cognition Precede all Emotions?
 Some
pathways,
especially ones
involving amygdala
(fear), bypass
cortical areas
involved in thinking.
 Certain likes,
dislikes, and fears
do ignore conscious
thinking.
Two Routes to Emotion
Physiological
activation
Appraisal
Emotional
response
Event
Expressive
behavior
Subjective
experience
Final Emotion Application 5 Points
Christine is holding her 8 month-old baby when
a fierce dog appears out of nowhere and, with
teeth bared, leaps for the baby’s face.
Christine immediately ducks for cover to protect
the baby, screams at the dog, and notices that
her heart is banging and that she’s broken out
in a cold sweat.
How would the James-Lange, CannonBard, and Two-Factor Theories explain
Christine’s reaction?
The Physical Arousal of
Emotion is Controlled by The
Autonomic Nervous System
It is very difficult to differentiate the physical
arousal associated with many emotions
(criticism of James-Lange Theory) even though
they definitely feel different.
 The arousal associated with emotions are
controlled by the autonomic nervous system’s
divisions the sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous systems.

Autonomic Nervous System’s Division
Autonomic nervous system controls
physiological arousal
Parasympathetic
Sympathetic
division (calming)
division (arousing)
Pupils dilate
EYES
Pupils contract
Decreases
SALIVATION
Increases
Perspires
SKIN
Dries
Increases
RESPIRATION
Decreases
Accelerates
HEART
Slows
Inhibits
DIGESTION
Activates
Secrete stress
hormones
ADRENAL
GLANDS
Decreases
secretion of
stress
hormones
Can Measuring Arousal Detect
Lies?
 Polygraph:
machine commonly used to
in attempts to detect lies.
 Measures Physiological Responses to
Emotion Including:
perspiration
heart rate
blood pressure
breathing changes
Questioning Process With The
“Lie Detector”
1. Subject is asked a Control Question: a type
of question where you will give a truthful
response (Is your birthday in May?)
2. Ask Relevant Question that you are
interested in.
Were you at the scene of the crime the day of
the murder?
If there is a bigger physiological reaction to the
relevant question than the control question you
are lying.
What Arguments Do Critics
Make Against the “Lie
Detector?”
Accuracy of the Polygraph Is
Between 70 & 95%
Is this a good level of accuracy?
 With 70% Accuracy:
– Assume 5% of 1000 employees actually
guilty
 test all employees
 285 will be wrongly accused
 With 95% Accuracy:
– Assume 1 in 1000 employees actually guilty
 test all employees (including 999
innocents)
 50 wrongly declared guilty

Polygraph Accuracy Study
Percentage
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Innocent
people
Judged innocent by polygraph
Judged guilty by polygraph
Guilty
people
Detecting Emotion/Lies With
Facial Expressions
Paul Ekman developed a system
for classifying deception within
emotional expression.
 With experience and training it is
possible to detect
microexpressions which
indicate guilt, despair, and fear.
 Must play close attention to facial
muscles which are nearly
impossible to control.

expressing emotion
The Emotion of Anger: Is the
Catharsis Theory True?
 Catharsis:
refers to an emotional
release. The hypothesis argues that
releasing aggressive energy can
relieve our aggressive urges.