Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Define emotion and list the three aspects of emotion that have been studied by psychologists.
2. Describe the fight-or-flight response and its connection to the autonomic nervous system.
3. Explain the underlying principle of the polygraph test, summarize the issues that surround its use, and then explain the strengths and weaknesses of the guilty knowledge test as an alternative to the polygraph.
4. Explain the role of the limbic system in the experience of emotion.
5. Describe the roles of the right and left cerebral hemispheres in the experience of emotion.
6. Explain the role of hormones and endorphins in the experience of emotion.
7. Describe the role of facial expressions in the conveyance of emotion, explaining the role of heredity and culture.
8. Describe the two dimensions along which emotions are subjectively experienced.
9. List and describe two theories regarding our subjective experience of happiness.
10. List and describe three theories regarding our subjective experience of humor.
11. Describe the important characteristics of three biopsychological theories of emotion and summarize their respective strengths and weaknesses.
12. Describe the important characteristics of the facial-feedback theory of emotion.
13. List and describe the important features of two cognitive theories of emotion and briefly describe the supportive research for each of them.