PSY 1102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Taijin Kyofusho, Frontal Lobe, Caudate Nucleus

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 1102
• Professor: Najwa Haddad

Document Summary

There is a genetic component (identical twin studies and there are certain genes for anxiety). Natural selection- different species are biologically predisposed to fear different stimuli, so we fear whatever was threatening the survival of our ancestors. Example-monkeys in the wild are terrified of snakes and crocodiles but they are not afraid of rabbits or flowers. However, monkeys who are born in the lab are not afraid of snakes or crocodiles. Researchers created a video of monkeys in the wild being afraid of flowers, rabbits, crocodiles and snakes. The monkeys in the labs learned to fear the snakes and crocodiles but did not fear the flowers and the rabbits. Brain: the amygdala tends to be more active in people who suffer from anxiety (linked and associated with emotions- fear, anger, aggression) Ocd and the brain- linked and associated with higher than normal levels of activity in the frontal lobes, the caudate nucleus, and in the anterior cingulate nucleus.