1. PSY 190: General Psychology
Chapter 12: Emotion, Stress, & Health

2. Theories of Emotion James-Lange Theory (James, 1890)
Cannon-Bard Theory (early 1900s)
Schachter-Singer’s Two-Factor Theory (1962)
Dutton & Aron: Transferred Excitation Theory (1974)

3. James-Lange Theory (James, 1890)
According to this theory, people experience emotion based on observations of their own physical behavior and peripheral responses
We basically check our body responses to determine our emotions
We feel sorry because we cried…
We feel afraid because we are trembling…
The feeling follows the response and is caused by the response
The smile made me happy…

4. Criticism of James-Lange Theory
A single physiological state change may actually be correlated with a number of different emotions
For example, increased HR can signal several things

5. Cannon-Bard Theory
Physiological arousal and our experience of emotion occur simultaneously
Stimulus is perceived at both a physiological and the subjective level

6. Cannon-Bard Theory
These researchers felt that body arousal and the experience of emotion occur simultaneously
Your heart starts pounding at the same time you experience the fear
But one does not cause the other

7. Schachter-Singer’s Two-Factor Theory (1962)
The intensity level of our body responses determines the intensity of the emotion but doesn’t tell us which emotion we are experiencing
We must use cognitive processes to determine and label which emotion it is
More awareness here than in James Lange theory
This interpretation involves reflecting back on the situation the physiological response is coming from
Thus, giving a cognitive appraisal so we can determine the emotion

8. Schachter-Singer’s Two-Factor Theory (1962)
Procedure
Gave injections to participants
Deception used in several ways

9. Schachter-Singer’s Two-Factor Theory (1962)
DV: Social Referencing; Cognitive
Appraisal
IV1: Type of Injection (epinephrine or
saline
IV2: Information (correct, misinformation, or no)
IV3: Type of confederate (euphoric or
angry)
Results?

10. Dutton & Aron (1974): Transferred Excitation Theory (“Spillover Effect”)
Capilano Canyon Study
Males reaction to “Gloria”
“Scantily clad
attractive female”

11. Low Bridge
10 feet above water
Sturdy

12. High Bridge
230 feet above ground
5 feet wide
Dangerous when windy
Very unstable: sways
Often closed
One death last summer

13. Dutton & Aron (1974) Participants Experimental “Lab” Method
Males
Ages 18-35
Experimental “Lab”
Capilano Canyon
Method
Procedures:
Men approached by experimenter
Asked to invent short story from TAT picture
Encouraged to call experimenter for results

14. Results
Considering this Transferred Excitation Theory what would you predict the results to be?

15. Detecting Emotion Facial Expressions
These are considered to be universal in nature by most psychologist

16. Can you tell if someone is giving you a “false smile”?
Ekman & Friesen (1982)
Participants were not successful in uncovering differences between felt and false smiles

17. Facial Expressions Ekman & O’Sullivan (1991)
When most people are shown videotapes and asked to judge who is lying, they do little better than chance
College students, psychiatrists, court judges, police officers, and federal polygraphers were all right around 50%
U.S. Secret Service agents did a little better (64%)

18. How good are you at detecting a lie?
Liars often give themselves away by facial expressions or changes in vocal pitch
But most people do no better than 50/50 at lie detecting, that is, they are right only about half the time
Studies have show that even moms aren’t better than the general population

19. Paul Ekman
From the findings of several studies, this researcher has proposed that there are two reasons why most people are such poor judges of lying
Few people obtain corrective feedback about the accuracy of their judgments about who is lying and who is truthful
People rely too much on what people say and ignore the discrepancies between the expressive behaviors and what is said

20. But with practice… Ekman, O’Sullivan, and Frank (1999)
This follow-up study found higher success rates
But the individuals in the next two groups really belong to a special population whose jobs depend on this…
CIA agents spotted liars 73% of the time
Street-smart interrogators spotted liars 67% of the time
Additionally, clinical psychologists involved in lying research spotted liars 68% of the time

21. The Effects of Facial Expressions: The Facial Feedback Effect
Strack, Martin & Stepper (1988)
Group 1:
Gently hold a pen between your teeth, making sure it doesn’t touch your lips (induces a smile)
Group 2:
Grip the end of the pen firmly with your lips, making sure it doesn’t dip downward (activates a frowning muscle)
Group 3:
Control group was told to hold the pen in their hands
Results?

22. Emotional Intelligence
Mayer & Salovey (1995)
Emotional Intelligence
The ability to perceive, imagine, and understand emotions and to use that information in making decisions
Perceiving Emotions
Reasoning With Emotion
Understanding Emotion
Managing Emotions
Researchers suggest that EQ may be more important to success in life than IQ

23. Fear & Anxiety Fear Anxiety Response to imminent danger
Measured by self-reports
Anxiety
A vague sense that something bad might happen
Measured by self-reports and by an increase in the startle reflex

24. Detecting Emotion: Lie Detection
Polygraph (“the lie detector”)
Once employed in both law enforcement work and national security matters
Mostly used in attempts to screen new employees for honesty or to uncover employee theft
Does not literally detect lies…
It measures several of the physiological responses that accompany emotions including HR, BP, and electrical conduction of the skin (perspiration)

25. The Typical Procedure
First of all, the examiner tries to convince the individual that the instrument is highly accurate
A lie in itself ???
Once he/she feels the individual is relaxed (another problem?) several control questions are asked
These are designed to make anyone a little nervous
In the last 10 years have you ever taken something that didn’t belong to you
Many tell a “white lie” here and often the polygraph picks up on this with slight physiological changes
Then the critical questions are asked:
Did you steal that laptop from your professor’s office last week???

26. The Typical Procedure Analysis:
If the subject’s physiological reactions to the critical questions are stronger than the control questions, then the examiner can infer that they are lying on the critical questions
The assumption is that only a thief would become agitated when denying the theft

27. Do lie detectors lie?
Szucko (1984)

28. Positive Psychology
Social psychologists often refer to happiness as “subjective well-being” (SWB)

29. “Can’t buy happiness”
Increase in income does not lead to increase in subjective well being
Most people define themselves as being happy or not happy, regardless of their material wealth

30. Are we more likely to help someone if we are in a happy mood or a bad mood?
Two studies address how mood is related to prosocial behavior:
Feel-Good, Do-Good Phenomenon
The Broken Camera Study

31. Feel-Good, Do-Good Phenomenon
Salovey (1990)
When we feel happy we are more willing to help others…
Finding money, succeeding on a challenging task, recalling a happy event made people more likely to give money, pick up someone's dropped papers, volunteer time, and so forth

32. Bad Moods and Helping
When negative moods make us more likely to help others:
If we take responsibility for what caused our bad mood (i.e., feel guilty)

33. Cunningham et al. (1980)

34. Stress, Health, & Coping Health Psychology
The application of psychology to the promotion of physical health and the prevention and treatment of illness
Modification of one’s lifestyle, outlook, and behavior can lessen risk of such things as heart disease, cancer, strokes, accidents, AIDS, etc.

35. Stress The demand made on an organism to adapt, cope, or adjust
A common, everyday event
Most common source of stress arises from the daily hassles that irritate us
“Microstressors” place a constant strain on us
The accumulation of daily hassles contributes more to illness than do major life events

36. Dormitory Life Baum & Valins (1977)
These researchers compared two layouts of dormitory in university residences
One was based on a long corridor design, with 17 rooms opening off a single corridor, whereas the other was a suite of three rooms opening off a communal area
The total space per student was about the same in the two designs and the facilities were similar, but student s in the long corridor style residence complained more about being crowded and about having to avoid unwanted social contact
They withdrew from social contact even when they were away from the residence
See diagram, next slide 

37. Dormitory Life Baum & Valins (1977) Karlin et al. (1979)
Traditional dorms appear to be more stressful than newer suite style 
Karlin et al. (1979)
Students who are accommodated 3 to a room intended for 2 suffer less contentment and lower grades

38. They demolished this traditional dormitory
In one case, a 26 floor, 1,300 student residence, Sander Hall, was demolished at the University of Cincinnati in 1991 because of persistent problems of violence and vandalism 

39. Watch your Blood Pressure…
Evans (1979)
Procedure
Compared ten person groups of people
Some were in rooms 20 x 30 feet, while others were in rooms 8 by 12 feet
Results
The people packed into small offices (usually with cubicles) had higher pulse rates and blood pressure

40. Significant Life Changes
Can be distress or eustress
Both negative and positive life changes can lead to Adjustment Disorder
Click on picture to take Holmes & Rahe Stress Test

41. How Does Stress Affect the Body?
Selye (1976)
His General Adaptation Syndrome model illustrates the effects of stress
Selye felt that the body’s adaptive response to stress was very general – like a burglar alarm that would sound off no matter what intruded
His model has three overlapping stages - alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
See next slide 

42. The General Adaptation Syndrome (Selye, 1976)

43. Heart Disease Due to narrowing or blocking of the coronary arteries
Angina pectoris
Painful cramp in chest, arm, neck, or back due to brief blockage of oxygenated blood to the heart
More often during exercise, stress, cold temperature, digesting large fat meal
Little or no permanent damage

44. Heart Disease Risk Factors
High blood pressure
Family history
Unhealthy patterns of consumption:
Cigarette smoking, alcohol misuse, overeating
High cholesterol levels
Physical inactivity
Job strain

45. Heart Disease: Specific Types of Personalities
Friedman & Rosenman (1959)
Summarized years of research to come up with the much publicized Type A and Type B personalities
See next slides 

46. Type A Has a chronic sense of time urgency Has quick and abrupt speech
Rushed and hurried, this person is always "on edge"
Has quick and abrupt speech
Often interrupting others
Is very competitive
Even in noncompetitive situations
Is a hard-driving, achievement-oriented, and status-conscious person
More likely to become hostile and aggressive

47. Type B This person has an easier-going lifestyle
Is much more able to sit back and relax
Less competitive
More understanding and forgiving
Enjoy leisure and weekends more

48. Some Differences…
The most important difference is that Type A men are 2-3 times more likely to suffer angina, heart attacks, or sudden death than type B men
Type A smoke more, sleep less, drink more coffee, walk faster, work later, even drink less milk, etc.

49. Situational difference as well…
Interestingly, in relaxed situations, HR, BP, hormonal secretions, etc. are very similar…
But when harassed…watch out…
Given a difficult challenge, threatened with loss of freedom or control we see big differences…
Type A’s are much more physiologically reactive as HR, BP, hormonal secretions, etc. -- SOAR!
Type B’s remain at moderate levels
Williams (1989)
Subjects asked to do simple math problems
Type A’s stress-hormone levels rose to more than double the Type B’s

50. Coping Strategies
Problem-focused coping
Emotion-focused coping

51. Problem-Focused Coping -Focused Coping
In dealing with essential tasks, it is better to confront and control than to avoid
Sex difference: M > F
SES: Low SES use this less than do people with higher educations and more income

52. Problem-Focused Copingges
Assessment
Identify the sources and effects of stress
Goal Setting
List the stressors and stress responses to be addressed
Designate which stressors are and are not changeable
Planning
List the specific steps to be taken to cope with stress

53. Problem-Focused Coping used Coping Stages
Action
Implement coping plans
Evaluation
Determine the changes in stressors and stress responses that have occurred as a result of coping methods
Adjustment
Alter coping methods to improve results, if necessary

54. Problem-Focused might not always a beneficial approach???
Why?
Can be physiologically taxing
Can lead to development of an over-controlling, stress-inducing Type A pattern of behavior

55. Emotion-Focused Coping: Shutting Downn
Repressive Coping
One way to react to stress is by shutting down and trying to deny or suppress the unpleasant thoughts and feelings
Sex difference: F > M
Distraction can be an adaptive form of avoidance coping
Concealing one’s innermost thoughts and feelings can be physiologically taxingometimes can lead to “ironic processes”
See next slide 

56. Wegner et al. (1987)
Same thing happened in earlier study when participants were asked NOT to think of a “white bear”
Daniel Wegner 

57. Don’t Think About Polar Bears!57

58. Wegner et al. (1987) Task Experimental Group:
Participants were asked to suppress the thought of a white bear. These individuals thought aloud for 5 minutes and rang a bell if the thought came to mind during suppression.
Control Group:
Participants could think about anything (including white bears). 58

59. Wegner et al. (1987) 59

60. Emotion-Focused Coping: Opening Up
Two aspects to opening up as an emotional means for coping with stress:
One must acknowledge and understand one’s emotional reactions to important events
One must express those inner feelings to themselves and others
Sex difference: F > M
Why might opening up be helpful?
Cathartic experience?
Helps to gain insight into the problem?

61. Hardiness Personality Style
Individuals exhibit three characteristics:
Commitment
Challenge
Control
Hardiness serves as a buffer against stress
Perception of control is most important factor

62. Social Support
The helpful coping resources provided by friends and other people
Has therapeutic effects on both our psychological and physical health
Social support and contact related to longevity

63. Social Support: The Religious Connection
Religion provides an important source of social and emotional support for many
Only 15-20% of world’s population have no religious affiliation
There appears to be a link between religiosity and health?
Religious individuals tend to outlive their non-religious counterparts
Correlational data

64. Why men don’t live as long…
Work Conditions
Males have more dangerous jobs
Males have more stressful jobs
Personal Health Practices
Males smoke more
Males drink more
Males more likely to feel high-risk activities will not affect them
Use of Health Care Services
F>M
Use Social Support
Adherence to medical regimens
Williams (2003)

65. Credits
Some slides of this presentation prepared with the help of the following websites: 1
of Transmission of HIV