Deck 2: The Evolution of Emotion

Question 1

Charles Darwin first proposed that emotions are part of human evolutionary heritage based on his observation that:

A) emotions feel instinctive and automatic, rather than rational.
B) emotional responses among people he encountered seemed to produce functional, desirable consequences.
C) the expressions of non-human animals, small children, and human adults are similar in many emotional situations.
D) emotions were considered by western philosophers to be more characteristic of animals than of humans.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A section of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that provides the template for a single protein is called a(n) .

A) chromosome
B) gene
C) allele
D) nucleotide

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The human genome is composed of sections of DNA that:

A) provide "recipes" for making proteins needed by the body.
B) help determine when other sections of DNA are activated.
C) can be activated by experiences and environmental factors.
D) All of the above are true.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Most important aspects of emotion are probably determined by:

A) a single gene, working alone.
B) contributions from many genes, without much effect of the environment.
C) effects of the environment, with little contribution from genes.
D) interactions between genes and the environment, with aspects of the environment influencing gene activation.

Question 5

If a trait is an adaptation, in evolutionary terms, which of the following must be true?

A) It must be caused, at least in part, by a genetic mutation.
B) It must help people in the present day survive and/or reproduce at higher rates.
C) It must produce a positive outcome in every situation.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 6

The term "ultrasocial," as applied to humans, means that:

A) humans enjoy spending most of their time in the company of other people.
B) humans meet many basic survival needs in large, cooperative groups.
C) humans are highly extraverted, preferring a large number of casual relationships over a few close relationships.
D) humans living in large, complex societies typically have more offspring than those in small tribes.

Question 7

While hiking through the Arizona desert one day, three friends become lost, and they eventually run out of water. They are in danger of dying due to dehydration, and so tired that it is difficult to keep moving. However, one friend sees a fresh spring off in the distance; the friends' excitement and desire for water motivates them to keep walking, despite their exhaustion. They reach the spring safely, fill up their canisters with water, and eventually make it safely back to their cars. In this example, the effects of excitement and desire for water illustrate:

A) an intrapersonal function of emotion.
B) an interpersonal function of emotion.
C) both intrapersonal and interpersonal functions of emotion.
D) This example does not illustrate the functions of emotion.

Question 8

Celia is very, very hungry at work one day, but cannot take the time to leave the office to find food. She looks in the office refrigerator to see if anything is available to eat. There is a box of pizza left over from a group lunch last week, but it is becoming moldy; despite her hunger, Celia throws the pizza away in disgust. In this example, the effect of disgust illustrates:

A) an intrapersonal function of emotion.
B) an interpersonal function of emotion.
C) both intrapersonal and interpersonal functions of emotion.
D) This example does not illustrate the functions of emotion.

Question 9

After grocery shopping one Sunday afternoon, Jason accidentally hits another car while backing out of his parking space. The owner of the car is extremely angry, and threatens to sue Jason; even though the lawsuit is unfair, Jason would lose more money than he can afford in hiring a lawyer to defend himself. Jason is embarrassed, and apologizes genuinely and profusely. As a result, the other car's owner calms down, and agrees to simply exchange insurance information instead of filing a lawsuit. In this example, the effect of Jason's embarrassment illustrates:

A) an intrapersonal function of emotion.
B) an interpersonal function of emotion.
C) both intrapersonal and interpersonal functions of emotion.
D) This example does not illustrate the functions of emotion.

Question 10

Tamara is a little girl, traveling with her parents in a large, unfamiliar city. While walking through an especially crowded part of the city with a lot of automobile traffic, Tamara is separated from her parents, and cannot find them. She begins to cry loudly. Several people nearby, who had not previously noticed her, hear Tamara crying and go to her aid. They help reunite Tamara with her parents before she is injured trying to find them herself. In this example, the effect of Tamara's crying illustrates:

A) an intrapersonal function of emotion.
B) an interpersonal function of emotion.
C) both intrapersonal and interpersonal functions of emotion.
D) This example does not illustrate the functions of emotion.

Question 11

A rancher lives in a rural community where law enforcement is very far away, so people must be prepared to protect their own property. One day, a bandit steals several of the rancher's cattle. The rancher chases after the bandit in a fury, shoots him, and takes the cattle home. In this action, the rancher not only gets his cattle back, but develops a reputation for being fierce, so no bandits ever try to steal his cattle again. In this example, the effect of the rancher's anger illustrates:

A) an intrapersonal function of emotion.
B) an interpersonal function of emotion.
C) both intrapersonal and interpersonal functions of emotion.
D) This example does not illustrate the functions of emotion.

Question 12

Which of the following modern theories of emotion proposes that some aspect of emotion is an adaptive, evolved part of human nature?

A) Basic/discrete emotions theory
B) Core affect/psychological construction theory
C) The Component Process Model
D) All of these theories propose that some aspect of emotion is an adaptive part of human nature.

Question 13

An advertising executive compares two television commercials marketing a new brand of paper towels. Both commercials provide the same information about the towels, but one depicts a cheerful, happy family having a fun day, and includes a couple of funny jokes, while the other commercial just shows scenes of the towels cleaning up various spills. As the executive predicted, people who watch the cheerful, funny commercial report a more positive attitude toward the paper towels than those who watch the other commercial. This example is most consistent with the theorized process of .

A) affect infusion
B) behavioral activation
C) approach motivation
D) social function

Question 14

Evidence strongly suggests that which of the following negative emotions is characterized by high approach motivation?

A) fear
B) disgust
C) anger
D) Evidence suggests that no negative emotions are characterized by high approach motivation.

Question 15

The affect infusion model primarily emphasizes the adaptive value of the aspect of emotions, whereas the approach-avoidance model primarily emphasizes the adaptive value of the aspect of emotions.

A) physiological; feeling
B) feeling; cognition
C) cognition; behavior
D) feeling; behavior

Question 16

The Affect Infusion Model of the adaptive function of human emotions is most closely aligned with which modern theory of emotions?

A) Basic/discrete emotions theory
B) Core affect theory
C) The Evaluative Space Model
D) The component process model

Question 17

The approach/avoidance motivation framework for understanding the adaptive value of human emotions is most closely aligned with which modern theory of emotions?

A) Basic/discrete emotions theory
B) Core affect theory
C) The Evaluative Space Model
D) The component process model

Question 18

The description of emotions as superordinate neural programs, coordinating the activity of many otherwise independent neural processes, is most closely aligned with which modern theory of emotions?

A) Basic/discrete emotions theory
B) Core affect theory
C) The Evaluative Space Model
D) The component process model

Question 19

Theories emphasizing emotions as superordinate neural programs emphasize which aspect of emotion most strongly?

A) The cognition aspect
B) The physiological aspect
C) The behavior aspect
D) The superordinate neural programs approach emphasizes these aspects of emotion equally.

Question 20

Which of the following theories posits that the diverse range of modern human emotions evolved from archaic states of excitement and apprehension, as our ancestors encountered new, distinct kinds of opportunities and threats?

A) The affect infusion model
B) The superordinate neural programs model
C) The phylogeny of emotions model
D) All of the above

Question 21

Nesse and Ellsworth's proposal of a "phylogeny of emotions" is most closely aligned with which modern theory of emotions?

A) Basic/discrete emotions theory
B) Core affect theory
C) The evaluative space model
D) The component process model

Question 22

Which of the following is the best definition of "post hoc theorizing," in the context of evolutionary psychology?

A) proposing an adaptive function for a trait that is already known to be widespread among humans
B) developing a theory for the effects of a new genetic mutation
C) suggesting the kinds of traits that are likely to have evolved as byproducts of a particular adaptation
D) explaining the difference between an evolved trait's adaptive function in the EEA, and its implications for survival and reproduction in the modern world

Question 23

In the study by Levenson and colleagues (1992), comparing the physiological aspects of several emotions in participants in the United States with those from the Minangkabau tribe in Indonesia, which of the following methods was used to elicit emotions?

A) Participants listened to stories eliciting each target emotion.
B) Participants vividly remembered a time when they had experienced each target emotion.
C) Participants looked at photographs intended to evoke each target emotion.
D) Participants were instructed in posing a prototypical facial expression associated with each target emotion.

Question 24

Which of the following statements about the results in Levenson and colleagues' (1992) study of emotion physiology in United States and Minangkabau participants is FALSE?

A) United States and Minangkabau participants showed physiological responses of very similar magnitudes.
B) United States and Minangkabau participants both showed significant heart rate increases in fear, anger, and sadness, but finger temperature increases only in anger.
C) Overall analyses did not detect significant differences between the United States and Minangkabau samples in overall pattern of physiological responding.
D) All of the statements above are true; none are false.

Question 25

The chemical structure of genes had already been studied when Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution.

Question 26

In many cases, aspects of a person's environment help determine whether a particular gene is activated or not.

Question 27

In evolutionary terms, a trait is "functional" if and only if it leads to increased representation of your genes (through your or your relatives' offspring) in future generations.

Question 28

When evolutionary scientists describe some human trait as "functional" or "adaptive," they are saying that trait is desirable and morally justified.

Question 29

If some trait seen in humans is an adaptation, it must be universal - observable in the same way in all people throughout the world.

Question 30

A single genetic mutation can have a combination of beneficial, harmful, and neutral effects.

Question 31

All modern theories of emotion agree that some aspects of emotion are evolved parts of human nature.

Question 32

Only positive emotions are high on approach motivation, and only negative emotions are high on avoidance motivation.

Question 33

Summarize the process of natural selection, and its role in evolution.

Question 34

Explain the difference between an adaptation and a byproduct of evolution.

Question 35

Explain the difference between intrapersonal and interpersonal functions of emotion, and give one example of each.

Question 36

Compare and contrast the Affect Infusion Model and the Approach/Avoidance Motivation model as theories of the adaptive function of emotion.

Question 37

Your textbook offers a detailed analysis of the theorized superordinate neural program of fear, specifying a particular combination of cognitive, physiological, and motivational effects that should help an individual survive threat by a predator. Offer a similar analysis for the emotion of disgust, assuming that disgust is experienced when we encounter a likely source of contamination - a substance that, if touched or ingested, would make us physically ill.