Emotion The experience of feelings Can activate and affect behavior but it is more difficult to predict the behavior prompted by a motivation

Basic Emotions Fear Surprise Sadness Disgust Anger Anticipation Joy Acceptance Plutchik proposed that there are eight basic emotions

Plutchik’s Basic Emotions

Basic Emotions Some have criticized Plutchik’s model as applying only to English-speakers Primary vs. Secondary Emotions –Be evident in all cultures –Contribute to survival –Distinct facial expression –Evident in Nonhuman primates Revised model of basic emotions includes: –Happiness –Surprise –Sadness –Fear –Disgust –Anger

Theories of Emotion Emotions are a mix of 1) physiological activation, 2) expressive behaviors, and 3) conscious experience.

Controversy 1)Does physiological arousal precede or follow your emotional experience? 2)Does cognition (thinking) precede emotion (feeling)?

Theories 1.James-Lange Theory 2.Cannon-Bard Theory 3.Schachter-Singer Theory 4.Opponent Process Theory 5.Cognitive-Appraisal Theory

James-Lange Theory William James and Carl Lange proposed an idea that was diametrically opposed to the common-sense view. The James-Lange Theory proposes that physiological activity precedes the emotional experience.

2. James-Lange theory Body = emotion “Without the bodily states following on the perception, the latter would be purely cognitive in form; pale, colorless, destitute of emotional warmth. We might then see the bear, and judge it best to run... But we should not actually feel afraid.” (William James, 1890) James, 1890, v. 2, p. 449 (Gleitman)

2. James-Lange theory

Testing the theory: Hypothesis 1: You need the body in order to feel emotions. Test: Interview people with high vs. low spinal cord injuries High spinal cord injury: “Sometimes I act angry... But it doesn’t have the heat to it that it used to. It’s a mental kind of anger.” Hohman, 1966, pp (Carlson)

2. James-Lange theory Testing the theory: Hypothesis 1: You need the body in order to feel emotions. –Results 1: The body may be necessary to have a full emotional experience.

2. James-Lange theory Testing the theory: Hypothesis 1: You need the body in order to feel emotions –Results 1: The body may be necessary to have a full emotional experience. Hypothesis 2: All you need is your body to know what emotion to feel.

2. James-Lange theory Situation  bodily reaction  emotion   FEAR LOVE? or

2. James-Lange theory Testing the theory: Hypothesis 1: You need the body in order to feel emotions –Results 1: The body may be necessary to have a full emotional experience. Hypothesis 2: The body can tell you precisely which emotion to feel. –Test: Gave people a dose of adrenaline: “I feel as if I’m angry or afraid”

2. James-Lange theory Testing the theory: Hypothesis 1: You need the body in order to feel emotions –Results 1: The body may be necessary to have a full emotional experience. Hypothesis 2: The body can tell you precisely which emotion to feel. –Results 2: The body is not ALL that is necessary to have a fully emotional experience.

Facial-Feedback –Stimuls invokes physiological arousal including movement of facial muscles –Brain interprets facial expression which gives rise to your emotion –Sequence Stimulus (See snake) Make a face (fearful) Brain reads face Emotion (fear)

Cannon-Bard Theory Walter Cannon and Phillip Bard questioned the James- Lange Theory and proposed that an emotion-triggering stimulus and the body's arousal take place simultaneously.

Cannon-Bard Theory See snake, run and fear simultaneous Stimulus to thalamus -- sends simultaneous messages to: –Lymbic system (arousal) –Cortex (fear)

Schachter-Singer Theory Two-Factor Theory Stanley Schachter and Jerome Singer proposed yet another theory which suggests our physiology and cognitions create emotions. Emotions have two factors– physical arousal and cognitive label.

3. The Schachter theory Situation  bodily reaction  emotion + cognitive appraisal  FEAR  LOVE

Testing the theory: Schachter & Singer 1962: 3. The Schachter theory VERY ANGRY! VERY EXCITED! (know what pill does) Least angry Least excited Medium angry! (didn’t take pill) Medium excited!

3. The Schachter theory Testing the theory: Hypothesis: The same bodily reaction will cause one emotion in one situation, and another emotion in a different situation. –Give people a dose of adrenaline; –Put them in different situations; –What happens? FEAR LOVE

Opponent Process Theory Opponent process theory suggests that any given emotion also has an opposed emotion. ( Fear/Relief or Sadness/Happiness) Activation of one member of the pair automatically suppresses the opposite emotion But the opposing emotion can serve to diminish the intensity of the initial emotion.

Opponent-Process Theory Solomon and Corbit (1974) –The opponent-process theory states that when one emotion is experienced, the other is suppressed. For example, if you are frightened by a mean dog, the emotion of fear is expressed and relief is suppressed. If the fear-causing stimulus continues to be present, after a while the fear decreases and the relief intensifies.

Opponent Process Theory

Cognitive-Appraisal Theory Sequence –Stimulus (object, event, or thought) –Appraisal of how this affects your well-being (consciously or unconsciously) –Emotion (fear, anger, happiness, …) –Physiological responses and behavior For an emotion to occur, it is necessary to first think about the situation.

Cognition Can Define Emotion An arousal response to one event spills over into our response to the next event. Spill over effect Arousal from a soccer match can fuel anger, which may lead to rioting. Arousal fuels emotion, cognition channels it. AP Photo/ Nati Harnik Reuters/ Corbis

Cognition and Emotion What is the connection between how we think (cognition) and how we feel (emotion)? Can we change our emotions by changing our thinking?

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