Theories of Emotion Flashcards

Emotion

• Defined as a conscious experience that includes feelings of pleasantness or unpleasantness.
• Comprises cognitive, physiological, and behavioral components.
• Accompanied by biological activation and expressive behavior.

Paul Ekman

• Identified at least six universal facial expressions recognized worldwide.
• Noted cultural differences in regulating emotional expressions.

James-Lange Theory

• Suggests that external stimuli trigger specific physiological responses.
• Emotional experience arises after physiological changes; e.g., encountering a growling dog leads to fear after physiological arousal.
• Indicates that altering behavior can change emotional feelings.

Facial-Feedback Hypothesis

• Proposes that facial expressions influence emotional experiences.
• Activities such as smiling can enhance positive moods, while frowning can induce negative moods.

Cannon-Bard Theory

• Asserts that the experience of emotion occurs simultaneously with physiological responses.
• The thalamus sends information simultaneously to the limbic system (emotion center) and frontal lobes (cognitive center).
• E.g., encountering a vicious dog causes simultaneous bodily arousal and fear recognition.

Opponent-Process Theory

• States that experiencing one emotion triggers an opposing emotion that diminishes the initial emotion.
• E.g., extreme fear and low elation when jumping out of a plane initially, but decreasing fear and increasing elation in subsequent jumps.

Cognitive Theories of Emotion

• Propose that emotional experiences are dependent on how individuals interpret various situations.

Schachter-Singer Theory

• Suggests emotions are inferred from physiological arousal and then labeled based on cognitive interpretation.
• E.g., feeling aroused in response to someone yelling may lead to labeling the emotion as anger.

Lazarus's Cognitive-Appraisal Theory

• Argues that emotional experiences hinge on personal interpretations of situations.
• Indicates that changing the interpretation of a situation can result in altered emotional responses.