1. Module 37 Theories of Emotion
Worth Publishers

2. Emotion Emotion a response of the whole organism physiological arousal
expressive behaviors
conscious experience

3. Theories of Emotion
Does your heart pound because you are afraid... or are you afraid because you feel your heart pounding?

4. James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Experience of emotion is awareness of physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli (react and then label)
Fear
(emotion)
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
Sight of
oncoming
car
(perception of
stimulus)

5. Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion
Sympathetic NS too slow to account for the speed of emotional reactions – problem with James-Lange.
Emotion-arousing stimuli simultaneously trigger:
physiological responses
subjective experience of emotion
Sight of
oncoming
car
(perception of
stimulus)
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
Fear
(emotion)

6. Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
Cognitive
label
“I’m afraid”
Fear
(emotion)
Sight of
oncoming
car
(perception of
stimulus)
Pounding
heart
(arousal)
To experience emotion one must:
be physically aroused
cognitively label the arousal

7. Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
You have arousal, if you are not sure of the arousal, you attribute it to the situation – spillover effect.
Two groups – both get drug –
one group told that it would either increase their arousal or that they would get cold feet and drowsiness
the other group told that the drug wouldn’t produce any effects
Told to wait.
Each group encounters a confederate in the waiting room.

8. Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
Some encountered a confederate that was happy and others encountered a confederate that was angry.
When asked how you felt –
Little emotion if you were told about the drugs effects – you attribute it to the drugs
If not told about the drugs effects – you may “catch” the emotion of the confederate – attributing your happiness or irritation to the situation

9. Cognition and Emotion
Must Cognition Precede Emotion? Do we need to interpret the situation?
Zajonc & Le Doux – No, we feel some emotions before we think.
Some neural pathways bypass the cortical areas involved in thinking, resulting in a short cut to the amygdala.
Lazarus – Yes, emotions require cognitive appraisal of the situation – otherwise we do not know what we are reacting to.

10. Cognition and Emotion - Must Cognition Precede Emotion?
The brain’s shortcut for emotions

11. Two Routes to Emotion

12. Two Dimensions of Emotion
Positive
valence
Negative
High
arousal
Low
pleasant
relaxation
joy
sadness
fear
anger