LP 8F Emotions and DM 1 02/25/19

Emotions and Decision Making

We tend to think of emotions interfering with our decision-making processes. They do. However, emotions can help us make decisions in ambiguous situations. Elliot had a brain tumor (left picture for a similar patient) removed, but he was no longer able to experience emotions. Unlike the Vulcan Spock, emotions can help us avoid bad decisions.

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Elliot appeared did not express sadness, impatience or frustration, nor any emotional expression from disturbing images injured bodies. He made many bad decisions because he couldn’t feel any negative emotions that made him avoid bad situations (bad gambling decisions, bad business decisions, the effect his behavior had on others, etc.)

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Emotions and Memory

Image Source: Learning and Memory (2008), Gluck, Mercado and Myers

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Emotions in Decision Making If you mention the name Donald T. Trump or Barack H. Obama, you will get different emotional reactions from different people.

• How can people manipulate your emotions, and thus your motivation without your awareness?

• Where else do you see the same process?

• Why is this important? What influences our emotional response and attitudes?

• Psychological o Expectations and Beliefs o Classically conditioned responses o Reinforced and punished emotional responses o Culture and Terror Management

• Biological o Evolutionary history (biological preparedness)

• Environmental

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Classical Conditioning of Emotions (Chapter 7)

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LP 8F Emotions and DM 7 02/25/19

Emotional Response and Voluntary Behavior

Classical conditioning generally involves involuntary behavior. Operant conditioning involves voluntary behavior. Often, we observe the voluntary behavior.

Involuntary Response Voluntary behavior

• Fear of snakes • Avoid zoos

• Prejudicial attitudes • Discriminate against others

• Inappropriate sexual arousal that harms others (paraphilias)

• exhibitionism

• Disgust at eating spaghetti that has gone bad (taste aversions)

• Choose not to eat at Authentic Tony’s Italian Meal Deal

• Isn’t that so cute! • Buying GEICO insurance

• Withdrawal symptoms in response to drug taking cues

• Using drugs

• Reduced immune response • Avoid hospitals

LP 8F Emotions and DM 8 02/25/19

Classical Conditioning, Emotions, Motivation and Behavior Many of the social issues that many of you wrote down involved voluntary behaviors. Classical conditioning involves involuntary behaviors that can occur without our knowledge and tend to be automatic. These involuntary behaviors can include our emotions.

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The Appeal to Emotions: Fear

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Feelings May Override Thinking

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Emotions Can Affect Our Ability to Think Critically and Evaluate Information.

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Emotions and Decision Making “Media often fails to distinguish between facts and opinions” by Drew Weston, Nov 23, 2004 Question: Should Donald Rumsfeld testify before Congress about his

involvement in the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal?

What predicts people’s response? Westen gave two groups different quantities of evidence and surveyed their feelings on several topics

• Quantity of evidence (told Little or Lots)

• Feelings toward the military (measured)

• Feelings toward Human Rights Groups (measured)

• Feelings toward Republicans (measured)

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Very Little Evidence Lots of Evidence

• Feelings toward the military

• Feelings toward Human Rights Groups

• Feelings toward Republicans

• Feelings toward the military

• Feelings toward Human Rights Groups

• Feelings toward Republicans Predict their answer 84% of the time Predict their answer 85% of the time

.84 versus .85

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Intuitive Moralist Our decisions on what is moral and immoral might not be based on any abstract notion of right or wrong, but how we feel about an event. There is a runaway train that is going to hit 5 people. Participants find it acceptable that to pull a lever and redirect the train to another track where it will kill another person (picture a). However, participants also find it unacceptable to push a person into the train, saving the lives of the 5 people (picture b).

People essentially responded that the first situation (picture a) “feels right” where the second situation (picture b) “feels wrong”.

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Emotions and Dishonesty Solve as many of 20 math problems in five minutes

Shred your work (it really wasn’t shredded

Report how many math problems solve

Receive $1 for each math problem solved

The average reported 6, solved, the average solved 4 (Some lying)

Solve as many of 20 math problems in five minutes

Shred your work (it really wasn’t shredded

Report how many math problems solve

Receive a plastic token for each math problem solved

Receive $1 for each plastic token

The average reported 8, solved, the average solved 4 (more lying)