PSYC18H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Polyvagal Theory, Cranial Nerves, Alexithymia
Document Summary
Week 6 lecture #6: thursday june 09, 2016. How can we measure emotions in the body: advantages & limitations to measuring emotion in the body. Recall william james" theory: autonomic specificity, the viscera is starting place of emotion. Made his theory unique: the viscera sends signals to the brain via the afferent networks of the autonomic nervous system. Brain responds on a cognitive level and then it sends back that response which produces bodily movements. Event (stimulus- e. g. snake) -> bodily change -> emotion. Method: participants injected with epinephrine, asked to report how they feel. Results: participants" response fall into 2 broad categories, cold vs. Cold reaction: 79% of 210 subjects, subjective perception of somatic disturbance, awareness of bodily arousal & autonomic symptomatology of emotion, but experienced incomplete emotion, e. g. , as if i were frightened, however, i am calm .
