Compare and contrast the major theories of emotion
Understand the role of the limbic system in emotion
Describe how emotions are recognized and expressed
Theories of Emotion
Review the theories of emotion in the following Crash Course Psychology video.
You can view the transcript for “Feeling All the Feels: Crash Course Psychology #25” here (opens in new window).Think about times in your life when you have been absolutely elated (e.g., perhaps your school’s basketball team just won a closely contested ballgame for the national championship) and very fearful (e.g., you are about to give a speech in your public speaking class to a roomful of 100 strangers). How would you describe how your arousal manifested itself physically? Were there marked differences in physiological arousal associated with each emotional state?
Biology of Emotion
Watch this video to review the parts of the brain that play a role in emotion:
Work through this Open Colleges interactive 3D brain simulator for a refresher on the brain’s parts and their functions. To begin, click the “Start Exploring” button. To access the limbic system, click the plus sign in the right-hand menu (set of three tabs).
Emotion Recognition
This video reviews how expressions can be used to recognize emotion, and how there are some expressions that are universal across cultures: