PSYC21H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Reminiscing, Operant Conditioning, Joint Attention
Document Summary
Subjective reaction to something in the environment. Generally accomplished by some form of physiological arousal. Often communicated to others by some expression or action: e. g. crying. Usually experienced as either pleasant or unpleasant. Children express a wide range of emotions from infancy. They are able to communicate their needs and desires. Emotional expressions are innate and universal, rooted in human evolution, and based on anatomical structures: facial expressions of basic emotions are the same in different cultures, all infants began to smile at 46 weeks. Regardless of how long the child has been exposed to smiling faces: the left cerebral hemisphere controls the expression of the emotion of joy; the right hemisphere, the expression of fear. Behaviour is modified by consequences: children learn still other fears simply by observing other people"s reactions. E. g. fear or do not fear falling based on the reaction of those around them when they actually fall.
