Attention-Emotion Interface, Pt 1

Dialogue 18|Session 10

Attention-Emotion Interface, Pt 1

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Overview

A primary function of emotion is to highlight events in the environment that are potentially important for adaptive function and future survival. Given this, it is not surprising that cognitive processes are tuned to give priority to events that elicit emotional reactions. We will discuss how attention, perception and memory are changed by emotion, both the psychological phenomenon and the neural underpinnings. We will also discuss research outlining how our thoughts can alter our emotions and will speculate about how strategies to regulate emotions may change our memories. Comparing and contrasting insights into how different strategies may aid in the regulation of attention and emotion will be discussed. Questions for discussion include: are there specific practices for training emotion in Tibetan Buddhism? What is the relation of attention to such practices? Do any teachings exist on the role of emotion in relation to attention and memory in the Buddhist traditions? Can meditation practice increase our capacity to understand the primary role of emotion in cognition and attention? 

  • Dialogue 18
    14 sessions
  • April 9, 2009
    Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India
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Speakers

Elizabeth Phelps

Elizabeth Phelps, Ph.D., received her PhD from Princeton University in 1989, served on the faculty of Yale University until 1999, and is currently Silver Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at New York University. Her laboratory has earned widespread acclaim for its groundbreaking research on how the human brain processes emotion, particularly as it relates to learning, memory and decision making. Dr. Phelps is the recipient of the 21st Century Scientist Award from the James S. McDonnell Foundation and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Association for Psychological Science and the Society for Neuroethics, was the President of the Society for Neuroeconomics and is the current editor of the APA journal Emotion.

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