Lecture 7:
Neuroscience of Self-Conscious Emotions:
The social functions of self-conscious emotions:
(Embarrassment, shame, guilt and pride).
These emotions involve complex appraisals of how ones behaviour has been
evaluated by oneself and other people.
Social Signals:
Self-conscious emotions serve as communicative signals
Matsumoto (2008): pride signals status and competence. Congenitally blind
male displays the same physical signals of pride as the non-blind individual.
Pride shows similarity with nonhuman primate display of dominance, visible
signal enables praise from others.
Harris (2006) embarrassment signals deference, commitment to social
relationships. Requires an audience, clear communicative function. Has no clear
facial expression unlike other emotions.
Regulate behaviour:
Experience of pride rewards status-enhancing behaviour.
Violations of social conventions (manners, poise, intimacy) result in
embarrassment.
Violations of ‘moral’ norms (harm, fairness, reciprocity) result in guilt.
Violations of character ideals result in shame.
Neuroscience:
Can neuroscience tell us about the role that self-conscious emotions play in
emotions?
Phineas Gage: clamping iron blown through the head, studied by Dr Harlow
(1868). High functioning individual whose personality completely changed after
this injury. Was well mannered and restrained, to the entirely opposite.
o Van Horn et al (2012): brain imaging to work out where the iron damaged
the scull. Found it damaged the orbital and ventromedial frontal cortex.
o Why this part of the brain might be important in regulating behaviour and
personality.
Orbital/ventromedial frontal cortex refers to the large bit of cortex that
encompasses the medial parts of the brain and the lateral parts.
Damage leads to disinhibited social conduct, a lack of regard for social
conventions.
Provides us with a unique neuropsychological paradigm to understand
mechanisms underlying social self-regulation.
Do individuals with social disinhibition show deficits in their self-conscious
emotion?
Beer et al (2003):
o Study of 5 patients with long standing damage to the orbital & ventromedial
prefrontal cortex. All have normal memory and language.
Neuroscience of Self-Conscious Emotions:
The social functions of self-conscious emotions:
(Embarrassment, shame, guilt and pride).
These emotions involve complex appraisals of how ones behaviour has been
evaluated by oneself and other people.
Social Signals:
Self-conscious emotions serve as communicative signals
Matsumoto (2008): pride signals status and competence. Congenitally blind
male displays the same physical signals of pride as the non-blind individual.
Pride shows similarity with nonhuman primate display of dominance, visible
signal enables praise from others.
Harris (2006) embarrassment signals deference, commitment to social
relationships. Requires an audience, clear communicative function. Has no clear
facial expression unlike other emotions.
Regulate behaviour:
Experience of pride rewards status-enhancing behaviour.
Violations of social conventions (manners, poise, intimacy) result in
embarrassment.
Violations of ‘moral’ norms (harm, fairness, reciprocity) result in guilt.
Violations of character ideals result in shame.
Neuroscience:
Can neuroscience tell us about the role that self-conscious emotions play in
emotions?
Phineas Gage: clamping iron blown through the head, studied by Dr Harlow
(1868). High functioning individual whose personality completely changed after
this injury. Was well mannered and restrained, to the entirely opposite.
o Van Horn et al (2012): brain imaging to work out where the iron damaged
the scull. Found it damaged the orbital and ventromedial frontal cortex.
o Why this part of the brain might be important in regulating behaviour and
personality.
Orbital/ventromedial frontal cortex refers to the large bit of cortex that
encompasses the medial parts of the brain and the lateral parts.
Damage leads to disinhibited social conduct, a lack of regard for social
conventions.
Provides us with a unique neuropsychological paradigm to understand
mechanisms underlying social self-regulation.
Do individuals with social disinhibition show deficits in their self-conscious
emotion?
Beer et al (2003):
o Study of 5 patients with long standing damage to the orbital & ventromedial
prefrontal cortex. All have normal memory and language.
