PSY 394 STUDY GUIDE FOR FINAL EXAMINATION
The ‘Holy Grail’ chapter





Know the Cannon-Bard theory of the neural organization of emotion
Know the Papez Circuit theory
Be able to describe the Kluver-Bucy Syndrome
Know McLean’s limbic system theory of the neural organization of emotion
Know some criticisms of the limbic system theory of emotion
LeDoux and Conditioned Emotional Learning






Know the Conditioned Emotional Learning (CEL) experimental paradigm
Know LeDoux’s experimental method for determining the neural structures
that support CEL to a simple auditory tone.
Which additional regions are required for CEL to more complex stimuli?
What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of LeDoux’s ‘low road’
and ‘high road’ pathways?
What parallels can you draw between LeDoux’s model and Zajonc’s research?
What is the blocking paradigm? What does it suggest about the role of the
cortex in emotion?
Cerebral laterality of emotion




Know the processing route that visual information follows (starting from
external stimuli all the way through to the brain regions involved in visual
perception and perception of emotion)
Be able to provide a brief description of some evidence in favour of right
hemisphere superiority for the ability to perceive emotion
What is the valence hypothesis? Know some evidence.
Relate these phenomena to other theories / approaches studied in the course
Debbie Talmi’s lecture

Which brain structures are most important for the clinical manifestations of
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), in particular the fragmentation of
memories and ‘flashbacks’? Hint: Use the information that you know about
Cahill’s research, the Yerkes-Dodson law, effects of epinephrine, and betablockers on learning and memory, along with the memory systems that are
involved in these functions.

How is this condition related to the phenomenon of ‘infantile amnesia’ (the
phenomenon that we have no explicit/declarative memories from the first two
years of our childhood (approximately)?
Damasio’s ‘somatic marker hypothesis’






Be able to provide a basic description of Damasio’s ‘somatic marker
hypothesis’ (do not draw a diagram for your answer).
Distinguish between acquisition and utilization phases for the above
Know the difference between the body loop and the ‘as if’ loop, and the
difference between overt and covert markers
Describe evidence from the gambling experiments
What is the role of peripheral feedback
Discuss the similarities and differences between the theories of Damasio, and
Oatley and Johnson-Laird (i.e., the ‘communicative theory’ of emotion).
Rolls, Hornak, Wade, and McGrath (1994)

Be able to describe the basic components of Rolls’ study, including:
o
o
o
o
o



Hypothesis
Population, including description of the region of brain damage
Methods, procedure
Results
Description of behaviour exhibited by patients before, during, and after
the experiment
What is the nature of the deficit in information processing for these patients?
(c) How is the behaviour of patients in Rolls’ study similar to that exhibited by
the patients observed by Damasio (mention experimental tasks, as well as
everyday behaviour)?
(d) Why is it strange that patients with this condition have such a high rate of
institutionalization (relative to individuals with other types of brain injury)?
LeDoux’s theory of emotional experience




How does LeDoux reformulate the problem of what ‘emotional experience’ is?
Describe LeDoux’s theory of emotional experience. Make reference to
cognitive processes and brain structures / systems that are involved
Relate this model to others theories and approaches that were encountered
during this course, paying special attention to the way in which LeDoux’s
model is able to reconcile theoretical differences
Describe the distinction between symbolic and sub-symbolic processing.



What implications does LeDoux’s model have for Oatley and Johnson Laird’s
Communicative theory?
What is the role of peripheral feedback in this theory?
Compare and contrast LeDoux’s model with Damasio’s somatic marker
hypothesis.
DSM-IV descriptions of Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia



Provide basic clinical descriptions for ‘panic attack’ and ‘agoraphobia’.
Know the diagnostic criteria for the diagnoses ‘Panic Disorder with
Agoraphobia’?
Be able to relate these phenomena to other theories and approaches
encountered in the course
Emotion in psychotherapy and psychopathology (December 8 lecture notes)






Don’t bother with the specific approaches (except for your own personal
interest)… focus on material from Rogers approach and onwards
Know the distinction between different ‘types’ of emotion (e.g., primary
adaptive, secondary adaptive, etc.)
What is the role of emotional ‘arousal’ in psychotherapy? Why is arousal
potentially problematic? What must be accomplished first
What is the role of ‘experiencing’ emotion in positive psychotherapeutic
change? How can it be measured (brief description)?
Know one or two pieces of evidence supporting the roles ascribed to arousal
and experiencing (there are many listed on those ‘busy’ slides… you don’t
have to know all of them, just a couple)
Propose a mechanism through which arousal and experiencing exert their
effects, using psychological theories as well as models of how emotion is
represented in the brain.
Ekman, Davidson, & Friesen (1990) article (i.e. posted on website)





What were the different aspects of emotion examined by this investigation
Describe the hypotheses that were tested
Were results consistent with the hypotheses? Know details.
What are the implications?
Relate the findings to other theories / approaches encountered in this course