Emotion
A complex state of feeling that results from a physical and psychological response to an external stimuli
- memories of emotional events have a persistence and vividness that other memories seem to lack
- But their is evidence that even highly emotional memory may fade over time.
Theory of the Emotional Brain
Proposed by LeDoux; states that our primary emotions are determined in large part by the limbic system, including the amygdala, hypothalamus, and thalamus
- suggests that there are two biological routes of emotion in the brain: the low road and the high road
Low Road
Fast route; takes a direct route to the amygdala
- thalamus to the amygdala
The amygdala reacts immediately to sensory input and activates response system
Useful in the case of immediate danger where a quick reaction can make the difference between life and death; fight or flight response
High Road
The slow route; takes an "indirect route" to the amygdala
- thalamus to the sensory cortex to the amygdala
this route involves evaluation of the stimulus and consideration of the appropriate response
Thought processes take over the instinctive emotional response.
Study Used
LeDoux (1998): the emotional brain