Lie Detection crime being investigated. The lie detector or the polygraph records the changes in neurophysiological activities that occur while the suspected individual answers these questions. Though the polygraph makes several objective recordings, the interpretation of these records relies heavily on the subjective judgment by the examiner. It is also probable that several unrelated factors like fear, pain or anxiety being felt by the individual during the test may affect her/his level of arousal.
It is possible for the individual to lie with it. The validity of polygraph results is doubtful; however these are still used by law-enforcing agencies for lie detection. heart beats faster when you are excited or scared or angry. You are physiologically aroused and look to the external world for explanation.
Thus, in their view an emotional experience requires a conscious interpretation of the arousal. If you are aroused after physical exercise and someone teases you, the arousal already caused by the exercise may lead to provocation. To test this theory, Schachter and Singer ( ) injected subjects with epinephrine, a drug that produces high arousal. Then these subjects were made to observe the behaviour of others, either in an euphoric manner (i.e.
shooting papers at a waste basket) or in an angry manner (i.e. stomping out of the room). As predicted, the euphoric and angry behaviour of others influenced the cognitive interpretation of the subjects’ own arousal. C ULTURAL B ASES OF E MOTIONS Till now we have been discussing the physiological and the cognitive bases of emotions.
This section will examine the role of culture in emotions. Studies have revealed that the most basic emotions are inborn and do not have to be learned. Psychologists largely have a notion that emotions, especially facial expressions, have strong biological ties. For example, children who are visually impaired from birth and have never observed the smile or seen another person’s face, still smile or frown in the same way that children with normal vision do.
But on comparing different cultures we see that learning plays an important role in emotions. This happens in two ways. First, cultural