Degree Level: Abstract ID# Introducºon: Method: Data
Undergraduate/Graduate Category: Social Sciences, Business, and Law Degree Level: Undergraduate Abstract ID# 812
Review of the Media's Portrayal of the Neural Correlates of Emo)on Secorsky, C., Lekbua, A., Poolvoraluck, W., Tran, I., Betz, N., Feldman Barrec, L. Data & Result:
Method:
Abstract:
We thoroughly searched the media using mediums of newspapers and magazines for keywords such as “emo=on”, “happiness”, or “amygdala”. ·∙ Included newspapers were NY Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and the LA Times, all from 2009-‐2014 o Included magazines were Pacific Standard, The Atlan=c, and Newsweek ·∙ Search yielded a total of 79 ar=cles ·∙ We developed a coding system to quan=fy the data o Mul=ple coders were used to increase reliability
The media is the main source from which the lay popula=on learns about scien=fic findings. As scien=sts, we o`en think about communica=ng our results to our peers but rarely consider how these findings are being conveyed to the public. The current research sought to examine the way that the brain basis of emo=ons is portrayed in popular media, and whether it parallels the current state of the affec=ve science literature. To examine this, we conducted a “media review” in which we searched a number of widely accessed media sources published in a five-‐ year range to compile a database of media portrayals of brain bases of emo=ons. Magazine and newspaper ar=cles published between 2009 and 2014 in Newsweek, Time, Pacific Standard, The Atlan=c, NY Times, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and the LA Times were reviewed to understand the media’s approach in discussing emo=on. As expected, the amygdala and insula came up most frequently as pinpointed areas of brain ac=va=on in emo=onal processing. While these areas are certainly implicated in emo=ons, their prevalence in the media, overshadowing all other brain regions, suggests that emo=ons are as simple as triggers in certain, specific brain regions. In reality, the basis of emo=ons is s=ll in debate among affec=ve scien=sts; others, for instance, hold to the conceptual act model, sugges=ng that emo=ons are not discrete but con=nuous, characterized on scales of valence and arousal and unique to each individual. What the lay person may not realize is that the media tends to oversimplify many scien=fic findings or fail to report one viewpoint. This creates misconcep=ons about the field of affec=ve science.
Reductionist
Included Newspapers
Included Magazines
Boston Globe
The Atlantic
Chicago Tribune
Pacific Standard
LA Times
Newsweek
Valid
NY Times USA Today
Missing
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative Percent
Not localized
5
6.0
9.3
9.3
Localized
46
55.4
85.2
94.4
Unknown
3
3.6
5.6
100.0
Total
54
65.1
100.0
System
29
34.9
83
100.0
Total
Examples:
Non-‐Localiza)on Perspec)ve
Although rooted in brute sensa=on, disgust is a “cogni=vely sophis=cated emo=on” that draws on our well-‐developed concepts of contamina=on and contagion.” hcp://www.psmag.com/poli=cs-‐and-‐law/hes-‐ liberal-‐just-‐check-‐brain-‐scan-‐93504
Category Sums Means
Amygdala
PFC
Insula
Ventral Striatum
Hippocampus
Nucleus Accumbens
20
4
4
3
1
1
0.36
0.06
0.06
0.04
0.01
0.01
Conclusion:
Introduc)on: ·∙ Lay popula=on primarily learns of scien=fic findings through media o However, the media can have a limited or distorted portrayal of findings ·∙ We seek to inves=gate the neurological underpinnings of human emo=ons in the media ·∙ We hypothesize that the media has misrepresented the current status of the field of affec=ve science by repor=ng that emo=ons have specialized regions o For instance, many believe that fear is as simple as the ac=va=on of the amygdala, when some evidence exists that it is far more complex o Evidence is increasing that this may be an erroneous way of thinking ·∙ Importance of our work: o We seek the educa=on of laypeople of modern emo=on theories o People should be encouraged to not be biased or believe in inaccurate theories o Since much research is government-‐funded, taxpayers desesrve accurate findings
Localiza)on Perspec)ve
“Combined, the amygdala and prefrontal cortex are believed to be integral to the “emo=on regula=on circuits” in the human brain, meaning a hyperac=ve connec=on can lead to ill-‐advised decisions.” hcp://www.psmag.com/health-‐and-‐behavior/ brains-‐risk-‐taking-‐teens-‐88969
-‐The media has misrepresented theories of affec=ve science, frequently localizing emo=ons to brain regions -‐This has the implica=on of the lay popula=on being misinformed about the existence of emerging and evidence-‐supported theories -‐Future research should con=nue to ques=on theories of emo=on, perhaps finding more efficient ways to communicate findings to the lay popula=on
Review of the Media's Portrayal of the Neural Correlates of Emo)on Secorsky, C., Lekbua, A., Poolvoraluck, W., Tran, I., Betz, N., Feldman Barrec, L. Data & Result:
Method:
Abstract:
We thoroughly searched the media using mediums of newspapers and magazines for keywords such as “emo=on”, “happiness”, or “amygdala”. ·∙ Included newspapers were NY Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and the LA Times, all from 2009-‐2014 o Included magazines were Pacific Standard, The Atlan=c, and Newsweek ·∙ Search yielded a total of 79 ar=cles ·∙ We developed a coding system to quan=fy the data o Mul=ple coders were used to increase reliability
The media is the main source from which the lay popula=on learns about scien=fic findings. As scien=sts, we o`en think about communica=ng our results to our peers but rarely consider how these findings are being conveyed to the public. The current research sought to examine the way that the brain basis of emo=ons is portrayed in popular media, and whether it parallels the current state of the affec=ve science literature. To examine this, we conducted a “media review” in which we searched a number of widely accessed media sources published in a five-‐ year range to compile a database of media portrayals of brain bases of emo=ons. Magazine and newspaper ar=cles published between 2009 and 2014 in Newsweek, Time, Pacific Standard, The Atlan=c, NY Times, The Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and the LA Times were reviewed to understand the media’s approach in discussing emo=on. As expected, the amygdala and insula came up most frequently as pinpointed areas of brain ac=va=on in emo=onal processing. While these areas are certainly implicated in emo=ons, their prevalence in the media, overshadowing all other brain regions, suggests that emo=ons are as simple as triggers in certain, specific brain regions. In reality, the basis of emo=ons is s=ll in debate among affec=ve scien=sts; others, for instance, hold to the conceptual act model, sugges=ng that emo=ons are not discrete but con=nuous, characterized on scales of valence and arousal and unique to each individual. What the lay person may not realize is that the media tends to oversimplify many scien=fic findings or fail to report one viewpoint. This creates misconcep=ons about the field of affec=ve science.
Reductionist
Included Newspapers
Included Magazines
Boston Globe
The Atlantic
Chicago Tribune
Pacific Standard
LA Times
Newsweek
Valid
NY Times USA Today
Missing
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative Percent
Not localized
5
6.0
9.3
9.3
Localized
46
55.4
85.2
94.4
Unknown
3
3.6
5.6
100.0
Total
54
65.1
100.0
System
29
34.9
83
100.0
Total
Examples:
Non-‐Localiza)on Perspec)ve
Although rooted in brute sensa=on, disgust is a “cogni=vely sophis=cated emo=on” that draws on our well-‐developed concepts of contamina=on and contagion.” hcp://www.psmag.com/poli=cs-‐and-‐law/hes-‐ liberal-‐just-‐check-‐brain-‐scan-‐93504
Category Sums Means
Amygdala
PFC
Insula
Ventral Striatum
Hippocampus
Nucleus Accumbens
20
4
4
3
1
1
0.36
0.06
0.06
0.04
0.01
0.01
Conclusion:
Introduc)on: ·∙ Lay popula=on primarily learns of scien=fic findings through media o However, the media can have a limited or distorted portrayal of findings ·∙ We seek to inves=gate the neurological underpinnings of human emo=ons in the media ·∙ We hypothesize that the media has misrepresented the current status of the field of affec=ve science by repor=ng that emo=ons have specialized regions o For instance, many believe that fear is as simple as the ac=va=on of the amygdala, when some evidence exists that it is far more complex o Evidence is increasing that this may be an erroneous way of thinking ·∙ Importance of our work: o We seek the educa=on of laypeople of modern emo=on theories o People should be encouraged to not be biased or believe in inaccurate theories o Since much research is government-‐funded, taxpayers desesrve accurate findings
Localiza)on Perspec)ve
“Combined, the amygdala and prefrontal cortex are believed to be integral to the “emo=on regula=on circuits” in the human brain, meaning a hyperac=ve connec=on can lead to ill-‐advised decisions.” hcp://www.psmag.com/health-‐and-‐behavior/ brains-‐risk-‐taking-‐teens-‐88969
-‐The media has misrepresented theories of affec=ve science, frequently localizing emo=ons to brain regions -‐This has the implica=on of the lay popula=on being misinformed about the existence of emerging and evidence-‐supported theories -‐Future research should con=nue to ques=on theories of emo=on, perhaps finding more efficient ways to communicate findings to the lay popula=on
