CHAPTER 9 09 29 2015 Genotype Genetic Potential is inherited from our ancestors and is present in the zygote fertilized egg at conception Phenotype the genes that are expressed Effects of Pre natal Effects Maternal Nutrition Teratogens are chemical substances which may be harmless in moderate doses to adults but which can damage the nervous system of a fetus or newborn infant o Can impair development in the womb o Includes drugs alcohol bacteria viruses and chemicals o Extent of damage is dependent on when the fetus is exposed to it and length and amount of exposure Physical effect of exposure is obvious at birth Non physical effects language reasoning social and emotional behavior become more apparent when the child is older o Use of recreational drugs can also effect a child s development Fatal Alcohol Syndrome Drinking alcohol during pregnancy leads to fetal alcohol syndrome FAS o Symptoms low birth weight face and head abnormalities intellectual disability and behavioral and cognitive problems o FAS most likely occurs among infant of women who drink heavily during pregnancy Perinatal Influences CHAPTER 10 09 29 2015 qJames Lang Theory The theory that we experience emotion because we are aware of our bodily response to an emotion arousing stimulus o Argued that the internal bodily responses happened first before we become aware of the emotion It is only when we experience the internal responses that we know that we are having an emotion o Argued that since emotions are adaptive behavioral and physiological responses tendencies they are brought out by evolutionary significant situations Cannon Bard Theory The theory that an emotion arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion Emotions result when the brain systems such as the thalamus signal s a response to a stimulus Among other things the thalamus influences mother control auditory or visual signals and the sending of sensory signals The end result is the physiological reaction o For example if you see a spider you become afraid and at the same time you may scream or tremble The concept of Basic Emotions Issue of Universality Darwin argues the face innately communicates emotions to other and that these communication are understandable by all people regardless of culture o Paul Ekman tried to disapprove theory and said the meaning of each facial expression varies from one culture to another but his theory was proved wrong and Darwin s correct o In each country participants viewed photographs of posed emotional expressions and then were asked to identify the emotional responses In all 5 countries participants recognized the expressions as anger fear disgust happiness sadness and surprise Primary Emotions These are the emotions that we feel first as a response to a situation Thus if we are threatened we may feel fear When we hear of a death we may feel sadness They are thinking instinctive responses that we have We will typically see these in animals also which confirms our suspicion that they have an evolutionary basis Typical emotions include fear anger sadness and happiness These can also be felt as secondary emotions Secondary Emotions These emotions appear after primary emotions They may be caused directly be them for example where the fear of a threat turns to anger that fuels the body for a fight reaction They may also come from more complex chains of thinking Secondary emotions may be simple feelings or may be a mix as more emotions join the fray Thus new of a wartime victory may start with feelings of joy but then get tinged with sadness for the loss of life Schachter s two factor Theory The theory that to experience emotion we must be physically aroused and must cognitively label the arousal according to twofactor theorist our physical experiences of emotions are so similar that we must cognitively appraise and label our reactions to experience an emotion Physiological response to all emotional stimuli was essentially the same which they called undifferentiated physiological arousal When people experience arousal they initiate a search for its source o What ever the person believes caused the emotion will determine how the person labels the emotion Schachter gave the higher brain functions a greater role by introducing the concept of situation appraisal as a necessary component in the process of producing an emotional reaction o You decide that you are having an emotion and which emotion you are having ONLY if you can explain your internal organ response by the context For example I see a strange man walking toward some My heart is racing and I am trembling My rapid heart rate and trembling are caused by fear I am frightened Cognitive Appraisal Theory The Theory of emotion which implicates people personal interpretations of an event in determining their emotional reaction The most important part of this theory is the way we interpret the event aka was the even a positive or a negitve occurance as well as what we think cause the situation o For Example driving in heavy traffic requires a combination of physical readiness to react while constantly observing the surrounding traffic flow Event thinking Simultaneous arousal and emotion o For Example Two professors react after their colleague is promoted one feels happy for her friend while the other feels resentful because he thinks he is more deserving of the promotion 3 Levels of Appraisal o Primary appraisal we consider how the situation affects our personal well being o Secondary appraisal we consider how we might cope with the situation o Tertiary appraisal we try to maximize significance increasing the gains and reducing the loses to the things we care about Synthesis of Emotion James made an argument that a person s interpretation of physical change leads that person to feel an emotion o Physical change occurs in distinct patterns that translate directly into specific emotions Around the same time Carl Lange proposed a similar theory Then James Lange Theory came about saying we perceive specific patterns of bodily responses and as a result of that perception we feel emotion Walter B Cannon had some objections to James theory and then Philip bard later expanded on Cannon s criticisms Their alternative theory was the Cannon bard theory emotional stimuli is sent to the mind and body separately and simultaneously Stanley Schechter and Jerome Singer saw merit in both theories o James Lange was right in