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Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior

Question 1

Gut reactions are instantaneous emotions that integrally consist of unconscious

thinking, natural evolutionary developments, and stored memories. Gut reactions can be

rational and should be followed. For example, this subconscious function can allow

individuals to detect dangerous situations while walking alone at night, thus enabling better

chances of survival. However, gut reactions can also be irrational and should not be followed,

for example, fearing harmless spiders due to evolutionary predispositions, leading to

unnecessary anxiety. Quick decisions provided by the gut reactions should be assessed

according to their context to determine their reliability. The rational process enables one to

identify beneficial safety practices from nonsensical, frightened behaviour or flawed choices.

Question 2.

The main evolutionary purpose of having emotions is to function as critical survival

systems that affect decision-making, boost social connections, and lead to adaptive conduct.

According to Gu et al., basic emotions evolved to resolve basic life challenges through

mechanisms that drive organisms to seek protection by fleeing or battle for preservation by

confronting threats. Inside the body, these signals assist people to respond effectively when

facing environmental challenges. For instance, the fight-or-flight reaction becomes activated

through fear, letting people avoid danger, while love and joy promote vital social connections

that sustain the survival of groups. Through predator instinct, people naturally developed

defensive behaviour that safeguarded them during dangerous habitats. Human survival tasks,
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relationship development, and critical decision-making become essential for healthy long-

term living only because of emotions.

Question 3.

The James-Lange theory argues that bodily reactions occur before emotional

interpretation during the experience of emotions. The brain recognizes fear because physical

responses, including fast heart rate, muscular tension, and heavy breathing, occur when

someone sees a snake. However, based on Cannon-Bard's theory, emotions and bodily

reactions appear simultaneously because the brain processes emotions without relying on

physical manifestations. An example of an emotion-producing situation from my own life

was a near-car accident experience that would fit the James-Lange theory because I felt fear

after recognizing my racing heart combined with trembling hands. Yet, the Cannon-Bard

theory would match the experience of simultaneous danger evaluation while experiencing

fear and body reactions. The field of psychology continues to discuss whether emotional

responses originate from brain signals or physical signals to the body.

Question 4.

The Facial Feedback Hypothesis suggests that facial expressions do not merely reflect

emotions but actively influence them. When individuals perform facial expressions linked

with particular emotions, their mental state matches emotional responses due to feedback

signals sent to brain areas. Science has validated that although neutral or stressed, people who

fake a smile will trigger neural signals that produce happiness and enhance their mood.

Presenting a fake smile before critical aspects activates brain messenger chemicals that lower

anxiety levels while boosting confidence abilities. The hypothesis demonstrates both

directions of emotional-physiological connections by showing how changed facial

expressions disrupt emotional experiences. People can control their emotions through self-
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directed expression transformations, making it a valuable technique to boost their mood.

Question 5.

The brain's alarm system exists primarily within the amygdala to detect threats before

automatically activating the hypothalamus, leading to the activation of the HPA axis.

Through the hormonal release of cortisol and adrenaline, the body activates its fight-or-flight

response while the heart rate speeds up, focus sharpens, and energy becomes available for

use. Trauma exposure causes damage to the brain's alarm system, which results in strong

amygdala responses, weakened prefrontal cortex abilities, and prolonged stress responses.

For example, the normal response system is blocked during traumatic events, and effective

action can not be taken since it thinks it is still in danger. Long-term structural changes in

neural pathways cause trauma survivors to maintain excessive alertness while struggling to

control their emotional reactions and to identify genuine risks among imagined ones properly.

High levels of cortisol cause harm to the hippocampus, which results in both memory and

emotional regulation problems, thereby leading to the development of post-traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The ongoing changes as a result of trauma make people more

sensitive to stressful events while also reducing their ability to handle emotional challenges,

which demonstrates how trauma has lasting neurological and psychological effects.

Question 6.

The bottom-up trauma framework emphasizes enabling control of physical and

sensory reactions before moving on to cognitive processing functions. Practices involving

deep breathing, yoga, and grounding exercises help stabilize the nervous system for better

brain safety before processing traumatic memories. However, the top-down approach

administers therapy by changing how trauma memories are processed along with thought

pattern modification to enable prefrontal cortex engagement in rational trauma processing

before treating physical responses. The therapy approaches work in two directions: bottom-up
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methods help control activated neural circuitry, and top-down techniques change harmful

trauma-related beliefs. The successful management of trauma requires people to combine

cognitive and physiological approaches because not addressing neurobiological regulation

first might result in prolonged nervous system dysregulation.

Question 7.

One self-regulation technique I have tried is diaphragmatic breathing, an effective

stress regulation method that activates the parasympathetic nervous system through

controlled breathing patterns. When stress arises, I utilize diaphragmatic breathing to

decrease my heart rate and relax my muscles. Regular use of this practice minimizes cortisol

production, and thus, it generates mental relaxation alongside emotional symptom relief.

Through regular practice, my emotional resilience developed to help me better control

anxiety while under high pressure. Normal activation of the vagus nerve through deep

breathing practices enables the body to transition from a dangerous or threatening state to a

more stable physical state. This method finds extensive use in trauma therapy since it allows

patients to take charge of their bodily reactions, which improves their emotional processing

success.
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Work Cited

Gu, Simeng, et al. "A Model for Basic Emotions Using Observations of Behavior in

Drosophila." Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 10, 24 Apr. 2019,

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00781.