The integrated theory of emotional behavior follows a radically goal-directed approach

status: publishe

A Model of Emotion as Patterned Metacontrol

Adaptive systems use feedback as a key strategy to cope with uncertainty and change in their environments. The information fed back from the sensorimotor loop into the control architecture can be used to change different elements of the controller at four different levels: parameters of the control model, the control model itself, the functional organization of the agent and the functional components of the agent. The complexity of such a space of potential configurations is daunting. The only viable alternative for the agent ?in practical, economical, evolutionary terms? is the reduction of the dimensionality of the configuration space. This reduction is achieved both by functionalisation —or, to be more precise, by interface minimization— and by patterning, i.e. the selection among a predefined set of organisational configurations. This last analysis let us state the central problem of how autonomy emerges from the integration of the cognitive, emotional and autonomic systems in strict functional terms: autonomy is achieved by the closure of functional dependency. In this paper we will show a general model of how the emotional biological systems operate following this theoretical analysis and how this model is also of applicability to a wide spectrum of artificial systems

Examining affective-motivational dynamics and behavioral implications within the interpersonal context of pain

Emotional, motivational, and interpersonal dimensions are considered integral to pain experience but have largely been examined separately. In this focus article, we argue that an integrative theoretical account that acknowledges each of these elements is a critical next step to capture the complexity and nuance of interpersonal pain dynamics and to shape future research. The aim of this focus article is to provide a foundation for such an account by drawing upon established insights from appraisal theory of emotion, influential behavioral models, empathy/interpersonal pain research, and social psychology literature to highlight conceptual relationships, potential mechanisms of action, and avenues of inquiry that have not previously been examined in the context of pain. Specifically, we highlight the interpersonal nature of pain and the conceptual relationship between emotion and motivation in pain experience. We discuss an affective-motivational tension between self- and other-oriented goals that can arise within the interpersonal pain context, and how such dynamics may affect the nature and effectiveness of care giving behavior. We then describe the role of emotion regulation and strategies that may facilitate optimal interpersonal pain dynamics and caregiving within a multiple goal context. Finally, we outline a foundation for an integrative theoretical model and directions for future research. Perspective: Drawing upon insights from appraisal theory of emotion, empathy/interpersonal pain research, influential behavioral models, and social psychology literature, this focus article provides a foundation for an integrative affective-motivational account of interpersonal pain dynamics as a basis for theoretical and clinical advancement. (C) 2017 by the American Pain Societ

The role of appraisal in emotion

status: publishe

Hacking into the emotion-creativity link Two new approaches to interactive systems that influence the relationship between emotion and creativity

Emotions can influence creative thinking. The ability of people to have the emotions that augment creativity can therefore help them to achieve higher creative task performance. How to design interactive systems that can effectively make use of this potential is, however, still an unanswered question. To explore possible answers to this question we have developed two novel approaches to interactive systems that can be used to effectively hack into the emotion-creativity link. One approach we developed enables a system to hack into the function of motor expressions in emotion regulation, in order to regulate the emotions that happen spontaneously during a creative task. We demonstrate that embodied interactions designed based on motor expressions, while used to interact with a system, can influence an intended emotion, and thereby influence the relationship between emotion and creativity. The second approach that we developed enables a system to hack into the cognitive appraisal processes that help cause emotion during a creative task. We demonstrate that believable computer generated feedback about the originality of a user’s own ideas, can be manipulated to help cause an intended emotion, determine its intensity, and thereby also influence the relationship between emotion and creativity. The contribution of this thesis is the development of two novel approaches to interactive systems that aim to influence the emotion-creativity link and in particular the explication of the mechanisms underlying these approaches. The studies form a novel contribution to both interactive systems research and the creativity sciences

Capacity and tendency: A neuroscientific framework for the study of emotion regulation.

It is widely accepted that the ability to effectively regulate one's emotions is a cornerstone of physical and mental health. As such, it should come as no surprise that the number of neuroimaging studies focused on emotion regulation and associated processes has increased exponentially in the past decade. To date, neuroimaging research on this topic has examined two distinct but complementary features of emotion regulation - the capacity to effectively utilize a strategy to regulate emotion and to a lesser extent, the tendency to choose to regulate. However, theoretical accounts of emotion regulation have only recently begun to distinguish capacity from tendency. In the present review, we provide a novel framework for conceptualizing these two intertwined, yet distinct, facets of emotion regulation. First we characterize brain regions that support emotion generation and are thus targeted by emotion regulation. Next, we synthesize findings from the dozens of neuroimaging studies that have examined emotion regulation capacity, focusing in particular on the most commonly studied emotion regulation strategy - reappraisal. Finally, we discuss emerging neuroimaging research examining state and trait regulatory tendencies. We conclude by integrating findings from neuroimaging research on emotion regulation capacity and tendency and suggest ways that this integrated model can inform basic and translational neuroscientific research on emotion regulation

Sharing emotions and space - empathy as a basis for cooperative spatial interaction

Boukricha H, Nguyen N, Wachsmuth I. Sharing emotions and space - empathy as a basis for cooperative spatial interaction. In: Kopp S, Marsella S, Thorisson K, Vilhjalmsson HH, eds. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVA 2011). LNAI. Vol 6895. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer; 2011: 350-362.Empathy is believed to play a major role as a basis for humans’ cooperative behavior. Recent research shows that humans empathize with each other to different degrees depending on several modulation factors including, among others, their social relationships, their mood, and the situational context. In human spatial interaction, partners share and sustain a space that is equally and exclusively reachable to them, the so-called interaction space. In a cooperative interaction scenario of relocating objects in interaction space, we introduce an approach for triggering and modulating a virtual humans cooperative spatial behavior by its degree of empathy with its interaction partner. That is, spatial distances like object distances as well as distances of arm and body movements while relocating objects in interaction space are modulated by the virtual human’s degree of empathy. In this scenario, the virtual human’s empathic emotion is generated as a hypothesis about the partner’s emotional state as related to the physical effort needed to perform a goal directed spatial behavior