Rainer Reisenzein

Social Emotions from the Perspective of the Computational Belief-Desire Theory of Emotion

Contribution to Workshop "The cognitive foundations of group attitudes and social interaction"Toulouse, May 31 - June 1, 2012

Institute of PsychologyGeneral Psychology II

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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Overview

CBDTE: A Computational model of the Belief-Desire Theory of EmotionCauses and nature of the social emotions from the perspective of CBDTEEvolutionary functions of the social emotions from the perspective of CBDTE

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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I. CBDTE: A computational model of the belief-desire theory of emotion**Reisenzein, R. (2009). Emotions as metarepresentational states of mind:

Naturalizing the belief-desire theory of emotion. Cognitive Systems Research, 10, 6-20.

*Reisenzein, R. (2009). Emotional experience in the computational belief-desire theory of emotion. Emotion Review, 1, 214-222.

*Reisenzein, R. (2012). What is an emotion in the Belief-Desire Theory of emotion? In F. Paglieri, L. Tummolini, R. Falcone & M. Miceli (Eds.), The goals of cognition: Essays in honor of Cristiano Castelfranchi. London: College Publications (in press).

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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The Belief-Desire Theory of Emotion: Happiness

Des(p,t)

Bel(p,t)

Happy(p,t)

New information

e. g. "Schroiber wins the election"

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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The Belief-Desire Theory of Emotion: Surprise

Bel(¬p,t-1)

Bel(p,t)

Surprised(p,t)

New information

e. g. "Schroiber wins the election"

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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Naturalizing the Belief-Desire Theory of Emotion: A computational model

Belief-BeliefComparator

(BBC)

Belief-Desire Comparator

(BDC)

Store for newly acquired beliefs

• I will not be invited to Paul's party. • Schroiber does not win the election.• I won't win a million Euros in the lottery.• My daughter is sick.• John does not get what he deserves.• ...

• I will be invited to Paul's party. • Schroiber wins the election.• I win a million Euros in the lottery.• My daughter is not sick.• John gets what he deserves.• ...

Belief store (preexisting beliefs) Desire store (preexisting desires)

Desire-Fulfillment Signal

Desire-Frustration Signal

Belief-Confirmation Signal

Belief-Disconfirmation Signal

• Schroiber wins the election.

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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II. Social emotions from the perspective of CBDTE*

*Reisenzein, R. (2010). Moralische Gefühle aus der Sicht der kognitiv-motivationalen Theorie der Emotion [Moral emotions from the perspective of the cognitive-motivational theory of emotion]. In M. Iorio & R. Reisenzein (Hg.), Regel, Norm, Gesetz. Eine interdiziplinäre Bestandsaufnahme [Rule, norm, law. An interdisciplinary survey] (pp. 257-283). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

* Reisenzein, R. & Junge, M. (2012). Language and emotion from the perspective of the computational belief-desire theory of emotion. In P. A. Wilson (Ed.) Dynamicity in emotion concepts (Lodz Studies in Language, 27, 37-59). Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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Belief-Desire analysis of some emotions*

Emotion IF Belief at t Desire at (up to) t Belief at t-1

happy(p,t) Certain(p,t) Des(p,t)unhappy(p,t) Certain(p,t) Des(¬p,t)hopes(p,t) Uncertain(p,t) Des(p,t)fears(p,t) Uncertain(p,t) Des(¬p,t)surprised(p,t) Certain(p,t) irrelevant Bel(¬p,t-1)disappointed(¬p,t) Certain(¬p,t) Des(p,t) Bel(p,t-1)relieved(¬p,t) Certain(¬p,t) Des(¬p,t-1) Bel(p,t-1)____________________________________________________________________Notation:Bel(p,t)...believes p at tCertain(p,t)...firmly believes p at tUncertain(p,t) iff Bel(p,t) & ¬Certain(p,t) & ¬Certain (¬p,t)Des(p,t)...desires p at tDes(¬p,t)...desires not-p at t (≈ is aversive against p)____________________________________________________________________*Reisenzein, R. (2009). Emotions as metarepresentational states of mind: Naturalizing

the belief-desire theory of emotion. Cognitive Systems Research, 10, 6-20.

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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Quantitative Formulation of BDTE

*Reisenzein, R. (2009). Emotions as metarepresentational states of mind: Naturalizing the belief-desire theory of emotion. Cognitive Systems Research, 10, 6-20.

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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CBDTE-analysis of the fortunes-of-others emotions: Pity

Des(¬ Fo)

Bel(Fo)

Pity(Fo)

New information

BDC

e. g., Fo = Karl (o) loses his job (F)

Bel(Fo ist bad for o, or¬ Fo is good for o)

Des(good things/no badthings happen

to o [within limits])

1 Pity is a form of unhappiness

2 One is unhappy about the fate of another, Fo

4 Des(¬ Fo) ist derived from a desire for o's welfare

3 One desires ¬ Fo, because one believes that Fo is bad for o

e. g.: Fo frustrates a desire of oo suffers emotionally from FoFo decreases o's well-being

5 This desire is altruistic

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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Pity requires an altruistic desire: data from an internet study

Beziehungstyp

FeindNeutralFreund

Mitt

elw

ert M

itlei

d

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

positiv

neutral

negativ

Type of relationship, F(2, 100) = 31.5, p < .01,Egoistic consequences, F(2, 100) < 1;Interaction: ns.

positiveneutralnegative

Friend Acquaintance EnemyType of interpersonal relationship

Mea

n o

f Pi

ty for

the

oth

er

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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CBDTE-analysis of the norm-based emotions: Guilt

Des(¬ Aa)

Bel(Aa)

Guilt(Aa)

New information

BDC

e. g. Aa = Maria (a) lied-to-her-friend-Berta (A)

Bel(a is in situation S anda is an agent of type T)

Des(in S, agents of type T do not perform actions of type A)

1 Guilt is a form of unhappiness

2 One is unhappy about an own action

3 Des(¬ Aa) is derived from the desire to obey a behavioral rule

4Desire to obey behavioral rule is derived from desire to obey P's commandments (= Norm internalization)

Bel(in S, actions of type A are forbidden for agents of type T by P)

Des(obey the commandments of P) 5 Desire to obey P's commandments is not egoistic

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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Pity and guilt: Distinctive hedonic qualities?

Do pity and guilt distinct have a distinctive hedonic quality? Are the separate forms of displeasure feelings?Introspection suggests 'yes' to meAn argument from self-knowledge of emotions:

Assume CBDTE analysis of pity is correct.Assume we infer emotions from their cognitive and motivational context.Then to know that we feel pity, we must infer that we experience mental pain caused by the frustration of an altruistic desire implausible

Alternative: The displeasure of pity feels in a special, distinctive way. That's how we know what we feel pity (with some experience).

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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Evolutionary functions of the social emotions I

Organismic (system-internal) evolutionary functions of emotions:

emotions signal congruence or incongruence between newly acquired beliefs and existing beliefs or desiresglobally prepare the cognitive system (or agent) to deal with belief-desire (mis)matches

Hedonic mechanism acts as a motivational support system

Creates an auxiliary desire to reduce or abolish the displeasure caused by a threat to, or a frustration of, the primary desire

hedonistic desire reinforces the primary desire even though it is blind to the aim of the primary desire

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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Evolutionary functions of the social emotions II

A social-communicative function?Verbal or nonverbal communication of emotion informs other agents about the occurrence of a belief-belief or belief-desire match or mismatch in the agentAlerts other agents to two changes:

The agent acquired a new belief that matched or mismatched a pre-existing belief or desireSomething may have occurred in the world that caused at least this agent to experience a belief-belief or belief-desire match or mismatch.

This information is useful for other agents:Allows them to update their mental model of the emotion experiencer, or of the environment, and thereby better adapt to either.

Rainer Reisenzein Social Emotions from the Perspective of CBDTE

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Evolutionary functions of social emotions II

What are the advantages for the communicator?Communicating emotion increases the agent's predicability and exploitability by others, and gives away useful information for free

readiness to (truthfully) communicate emotions is a form of biological altruisim

possible evolutionary: kin selection, reciprocal altruism, group selection(Richerson & Boyd, 2005), costly signalling (Desalles, 2007)

My proposal for the social emotions: group selectionGroups in which social emotions are truthfully communicated are at an advantage over groups in they are hidden or faked.

involuntary signals of social (and possibly other) emotions may have been selected as truthful signs of other’s group-centered concerns: Their altruistic concern for others, and their true caring for the obeyance of social norms.

Rainer Reisenzein

Thank you for your attention!

Institute of PsychologyGeneral Psychologie IIrainer.reisenzein@uni-greifswald.de