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7.3 Theories of Emotion

4 min readnovember 11, 2020

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Mary Valdez

Mary Valdez

John Mohl

John Mohl

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Mary Valdez

Mary Valdez

John Mohl

John Mohl

Emotion is a response of the whole organism involving physiological arousal ❤️, expressive behaviors🚶, and conscious experience 🤔

Theories of Emotion

Just like with motivation, there are tons of different theories of emotion. What we know, in general, is that our emotions helped us survive as well. They help us stay focused at stressful times and keep us alert at cautious times🚨.

Common Sense Theory

First, there was the that said first you feel the emotion, and then the physiological response. An example of this would be, "I'm scared so I tremble."

This was like the instinct theory in motivation; it didn't really stick and make sense to other psychologists, so they came up with their own theories after it.

💡Tl;dr—Emotion -> Physiological response

James-Lange Theory

This theory said that emotion is the result of a physiological response, which in turn activates the emotion, which is the opposite of the .

An example of this is, "we feel sad because we cry, angry because we tense up, and afraid because we tremble.”

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-VidlRe2GvqT2.png?alt=media&token=131b10a7-47e6-4fca-8559-df5a1e6da25d

Image Courtesy of Pixorize.

💡Tl;dr—Physiological Response -> Emotion

Cannon-Bard Theory

With this theory, a stimulus activates the brain, which simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion. Canon believed that the body's responses are too similar to be two separate things.

An example of this is, "my heart begins pounding as I feel .”

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-VTT1QNSFRAJP.png?alt=media&token=cd5a1082-ed3e-4287-a6d2-499a6d346ee3

Image Courtesy of Pixorize.

💡Tl;dr—Physiological Response + Emotion

Schachter-Singer Theory

The , or Schachter 2 Factor Theory, brings cognition into emotion. When one senses physiological arousal, one does a cognitive appraisal by scanning their environment in order to determine the emotion that one is feeling.

An example of this is, "I am trembling because of the snake in the room. Therefore, I must be afraid."

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-nNEYvOzmZiAH.jpg?alt=media&token=bd061bfc-31ee-453c-8e75-27b4f914c328

Image Courtesy of Pixorize.

💡Tl;dr—Physiological Response + Thoughts = Emotion

Zajonc-LeDoux

Zajonc and LeDoux believed that our emotional reactions were separate from our cognitive label on the situation.

They thought that some emotions, particularly those needed for our immediate survival (e.g., or rage), were quickly activated through a fast pathway, while other emotions (e.g., love) went through a slow pathway. Some embodied emotions happen instantly, without conscious appraisal.

An example of this is when you automatically get startled by a sound in the forest before labeling it as a threat. 

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-5DdVPGw6b2oc.png?alt=media&token=f7dac9ac-b171-45a5-9fe1-4fbaebead7fe

Image Courtesy of Purdue.

Zajonc and LeDoux believed that not all emotional responses involve cognition.

Lazarus, Schachter, and Singer believed that memories, expectations, and interpretations always influence our emotional responses.

Lazarus

Cognitive appraisal of the environment leads us to activate physiological arousal and emotional experience.

An example of this is, “Is it dangerous or not? That sound is 'just the wind.'”

3 Primary Emotions (Evolution)

Our body's adaptive response motivates adaptive response for survival. These include , , and .

Facial Expression and Emotions

Emotions are very similar, there are only subtle differences between them. They mainly differ in where the brain activates:

  • and are both very similar, but provokes more activity💡 in our .

  • When we feel negative emotions, the lights up. When we feel positive emotions, the lights up.

speaks volumes about your emotions.

  • We are really good at finding nonverbal threats. Angry faces, voices, and negative words tend to pop out to us.

  • We find it difficult to figure out who is lying. Sometimes, a polygraph is used to detect lies based on your body's physical response. Some people can mask their physical responses, so fMRIs are actually more effective when finding out who lies.

  • Women are better at reading emotional cues and are stereotyped as being gentle and emotional. Men, on the other hand, are stereotyped as being angry.

Culture

Research by and his colleagues suggests that facial expressions are universal. No matter what, we can always detect , sadness, shock, and on other people's faces.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-RcsKFO8ZCD5c.gif?alt=media&token=b78d9364-6eba-4862-95fb-8665f0bdc95b

You could probably tell which emotion each person is displaying! Image Courtesy of UC Berkeley.

But cultures do differ in how much emotion they express. Usually, those in America and Europe seem to have more visible emotions, while those in Asia tend to hide their emotions. This is because of the individualistic culture that exists in America and Europe vs the collectivist culture that exists in Asia.

Facial Feedback Effect

The is the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings. For example, smiling activates muscles that directly trigger the feeling of .

If you were ever really upset and just smiled at yourself, you'd notice that you cheered up a little. Smiling is a natural therapy ( 😃).

🎥 Watch: AP PsychologyEmotion

🏆 TriviaEmotions

Key Terms to Review (18)

3 Primary Emotions (Evolution)

: These are the three basic emotions that have evolved in humans and animals for survival. They include fear, anger, and happiness.

Amygdala

: The amygdala is two almond-shaped clusters located deep within the brain. It plays a crucial role in processing emotions and fear-learning.

Anger

: Anger is an emotional response characterized by antagonism towards someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.

Body Language

: Body Language refers to nonverbal communication through body movements or gestures instead of, or in addition to, verbal speech.

Cannon-Bard Theory

: The Cannon-Bard theory posits that we experience physiological reactions and emotions simultaneously from an emotion-provoking event.

Common Sense Theory

: The Common Sense Theory of emotion suggests that we first perceive an event, then experience an emotional response, and finally have a physiological reaction.

Facial Expression and Emotions

: This refers to how our feelings are often displayed through our facial expressions. Different emotions correspond with specific facial movements.

Facial Feedback Effect

: The Facial Feedback Effect refers to the idea that one's facial expressions can influence their mood and emotional experience. For example, forcing oneself to smile can actually lead to feeling happier.

Fear

: Fear is an emotional response induced by a perceived threat which causes changes in brain function and behavior such as fleeing, hiding, or freezing from traumatic events.

Happiness

: Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.

James-Lange Theory

: The James-Lange theory proposes that our experience of emotion is a result of our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli.

Lazarus

: Lazarus' theory posits that our experience of emotion depends on how we interpret or appraise the situation. This cognitive appraisal happens before the emotion and physiological arousal.

Left Prefrontal Cortex

: The left prefrontal cortex is an area of the brain that plays a crucial role in language processing and production as well as logical reasoning.

Paul Ekman

: Paul Ekman is a renowned psychologist who is best known for his work on the facial recognition of emotions. He proposed that certain emotional expressions are universal across different cultures.

Right Prefrontal Cortex

: The right prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain located in the front, responsible for decision-making, social behavior, and personality expression.

Schachter-Singer Theory

: The Schachter-Singer Theory, also known as the two-factor theory of emotion, suggests that emotions are determined by a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation. In other words, we feel an emotion and then seek to explain it based on our environment.

Smile Therapy

: Smile Therapy is a therapeutic practice that involves intentionally smiling to improve mood and reduce stress. It's based on the Facial Feedback Effect.

Zajonc-LeDoux

: The Zajonc-LeDoux theory proposes that some emotional responses occur instantly without conscious appraisal. It suggests that we can experience an immediate emotional reaction to a stimulus before any cognitive processing takes place.

7.3 Theories of Emotion

4 min readnovember 11, 2020

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Mary Valdez

Mary Valdez

John Mohl

John Mohl

Dalia Savy

Dalia Savy

Mary Valdez

Mary Valdez

John Mohl

John Mohl

Emotion is a response of the whole organism involving physiological arousal ❤️, expressive behaviors🚶, and conscious experience 🤔

Theories of Emotion

Just like with motivation, there are tons of different theories of emotion. What we know, in general, is that our emotions helped us survive as well. They help us stay focused at stressful times and keep us alert at cautious times🚨.

Common Sense Theory

First, there was the that said first you feel the emotion, and then the physiological response. An example of this would be, "I'm scared so I tremble."

This was like the instinct theory in motivation; it didn't really stick and make sense to other psychologists, so they came up with their own theories after it.

💡Tl;dr—Emotion -> Physiological response

James-Lange Theory

This theory said that emotion is the result of a physiological response, which in turn activates the emotion, which is the opposite of the .

An example of this is, "we feel sad because we cry, angry because we tense up, and afraid because we tremble.”

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-VidlRe2GvqT2.png?alt=media&token=131b10a7-47e6-4fca-8559-df5a1e6da25d

Image Courtesy of Pixorize.

💡Tl;dr—Physiological Response -> Emotion

Cannon-Bard Theory

With this theory, a stimulus activates the brain, which simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion. Canon believed that the body's responses are too similar to be two separate things.

An example of this is, "my heart begins pounding as I feel .”

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-VTT1QNSFRAJP.png?alt=media&token=cd5a1082-ed3e-4287-a6d2-499a6d346ee3

Image Courtesy of Pixorize.

💡Tl;dr—Physiological Response + Emotion

Schachter-Singer Theory

The , or Schachter 2 Factor Theory, brings cognition into emotion. When one senses physiological arousal, one does a cognitive appraisal by scanning their environment in order to determine the emotion that one is feeling.

An example of this is, "I am trembling because of the snake in the room. Therefore, I must be afraid."

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-nNEYvOzmZiAH.jpg?alt=media&token=bd061bfc-31ee-453c-8e75-27b4f914c328

Image Courtesy of Pixorize.

💡Tl;dr—Physiological Response + Thoughts = Emotion

Zajonc-LeDoux

Zajonc and LeDoux believed that our emotional reactions were separate from our cognitive label on the situation.

They thought that some emotions, particularly those needed for our immediate survival (e.g., or rage), were quickly activated through a fast pathway, while other emotions (e.g., love) went through a slow pathway. Some embodied emotions happen instantly, without conscious appraisal.

An example of this is when you automatically get startled by a sound in the forest before labeling it as a threat. 

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-5DdVPGw6b2oc.png?alt=media&token=f7dac9ac-b171-45a5-9fe1-4fbaebead7fe

Image Courtesy of Purdue.

Zajonc and LeDoux believed that not all emotional responses involve cognition.

Lazarus, Schachter, and Singer believed that memories, expectations, and interpretations always influence our emotional responses.

Lazarus

Cognitive appraisal of the environment leads us to activate physiological arousal and emotional experience.

An example of this is, “Is it dangerous or not? That sound is 'just the wind.'”

3 Primary Emotions (Evolution)

Our body's adaptive response motivates adaptive response for survival. These include , , and .

Facial Expression and Emotions

Emotions are very similar, there are only subtle differences between them. They mainly differ in where the brain activates:

  • and are both very similar, but provokes more activity💡 in our .

  • When we feel negative emotions, the lights up. When we feel positive emotions, the lights up.

speaks volumes about your emotions.

  • We are really good at finding nonverbal threats. Angry faces, voices, and negative words tend to pop out to us.

  • We find it difficult to figure out who is lying. Sometimes, a polygraph is used to detect lies based on your body's physical response. Some people can mask their physical responses, so fMRIs are actually more effective when finding out who lies.

  • Women are better at reading emotional cues and are stereotyped as being gentle and emotional. Men, on the other hand, are stereotyped as being angry.

Culture

Research by and his colleagues suggests that facial expressions are universal. No matter what, we can always detect , sadness, shock, and on other people's faces.

https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/fiveable-92889.appspot.com/o/images%2F-RcsKFO8ZCD5c.gif?alt=media&token=b78d9364-6eba-4862-95fb-8665f0bdc95b

You could probably tell which emotion each person is displaying! Image Courtesy of UC Berkeley.

But cultures do differ in how much emotion they express. Usually, those in America and Europe seem to have more visible emotions, while those in Asia tend to hide their emotions. This is because of the individualistic culture that exists in America and Europe vs the collectivist culture that exists in Asia.

Facial Feedback Effect

The is the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings. For example, smiling activates muscles that directly trigger the feeling of .

If you were ever really upset and just smiled at yourself, you'd notice that you cheered up a little. Smiling is a natural therapy ( 😃).

🎥 Watch: AP PsychologyEmotion

🏆 TriviaEmotions

Key Terms to Review (18)

3 Primary Emotions (Evolution)

: These are the three basic emotions that have evolved in humans and animals for survival. They include fear, anger, and happiness.

Amygdala

: The amygdala is two almond-shaped clusters located deep within the brain. It plays a crucial role in processing emotions and fear-learning.

Anger

: Anger is an emotional response characterized by antagonism towards someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong.

Body Language

: Body Language refers to nonverbal communication through body movements or gestures instead of, or in addition to, verbal speech.

Cannon-Bard Theory

: The Cannon-Bard theory posits that we experience physiological reactions and emotions simultaneously from an emotion-provoking event.

Common Sense Theory

: The Common Sense Theory of emotion suggests that we first perceive an event, then experience an emotional response, and finally have a physiological reaction.

Facial Expression and Emotions

: This refers to how our feelings are often displayed through our facial expressions. Different emotions correspond with specific facial movements.

Facial Feedback Effect

: The Facial Feedback Effect refers to the idea that one's facial expressions can influence their mood and emotional experience. For example, forcing oneself to smile can actually lead to feeling happier.

Fear

: Fear is an emotional response induced by a perceived threat which causes changes in brain function and behavior such as fleeing, hiding, or freezing from traumatic events.

Happiness

: Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.

James-Lange Theory

: The James-Lange theory proposes that our experience of emotion is a result of our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli.

Lazarus

: Lazarus' theory posits that our experience of emotion depends on how we interpret or appraise the situation. This cognitive appraisal happens before the emotion and physiological arousal.

Left Prefrontal Cortex

: The left prefrontal cortex is an area of the brain that plays a crucial role in language processing and production as well as logical reasoning.

Paul Ekman

: Paul Ekman is a renowned psychologist who is best known for his work on the facial recognition of emotions. He proposed that certain emotional expressions are universal across different cultures.

Right Prefrontal Cortex

: The right prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain located in the front, responsible for decision-making, social behavior, and personality expression.

Schachter-Singer Theory

: The Schachter-Singer Theory, also known as the two-factor theory of emotion, suggests that emotions are determined by a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation. In other words, we feel an emotion and then seek to explain it based on our environment.

Smile Therapy

: Smile Therapy is a therapeutic practice that involves intentionally smiling to improve mood and reduce stress. It's based on the Facial Feedback Effect.

Zajonc-LeDoux

: The Zajonc-LeDoux theory proposes that some emotional responses occur instantly without conscious appraisal. It suggests that we can experience an immediate emotional reaction to a stimulus before any cognitive processing takes place.


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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.