Learning Objectives for Chapter 18—Brain Mechanisms of Emotion

1.         Compare the predominant theories of emotion—James-Lange and Cannon-Bard. How are they different? What evidence supports and/or discredits each? What were

            Singer and Schachter’s contributions to the study of emotion? (The information regarding Singer and Schachter will come from your notes—it is NOT in the text.)

2.         What structures (areas) did Broca include in his description of the “limbic lobe?”  Your book only discusses two—but I talked about three: 2 cortical areas and 1            

            subcortical structure.

3.         What did Papez add to Broca’s concept of a localized area for emotion? What is the “circuit of Papez?”

4.         Remember Kluver-Bucy syndrome? Describe it (in both monkeys and man). How is it produced? What are the characteristics? What does it say about emotions?

5.         What emotions does the amygdala seem to govern?

6.         What the information regarding Phineas Gage tell us about emotional behavior?  How does this relate to the information regarding frontal lobotomies?

BEYOND THE BOOK:

You should be able to discuss the following concepts that are not found in your text:

1.         What does the septal area have to do with emotion? What about the nucleus accumbens? Why are these structures considered to be part of a “reward system” rather than a

            “pleasure center?”

2.         What does this reward system tell us about addictive behaviors?

3.         How do dopaminergic neurons in this system maintain addictions despite the fact that the behavior is no longer reinforcing in itself. In other words, why would someone keep

            engaging in a behavior when it has cost them everything—financially as well as emotionally? This is a “think about it” question so you need   to develop your own answer. Don’t

            e-mail me and ask what the answer is, but feel free to develop an answer and e-mail it to ask if your are looking at it correctly.

4.         You should be able to integrate the information on emotion with the information on stress (and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal interaction) and develop a logical explanation

            for anxiety.