emotion

Emotion

 a response of the whole organism, involving (1) physiological arousal, (2) expressive behaviors, and (3) conscious experience.

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

stimulus -> physiological response -> emotion felt

Cannon-Bard theory (Thalamic Theory)

 an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers (1) physiological response and (2) emotion felt

Schachter-Singer theory (Schachter-Two Factor)

to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and (2) cognitively label the arousal.

Zajonc; LeDoux

 some embodied responses happen instantly, without conscious appraisal - we automatically feel startled by a sound in the forest before labeling it as a threat

proposed that emotion/cognition order is not constant

Lazarus

 cognitive appraisal (“is it dangerous or not?”) - sometimes without our awareness - defines emotion. Example: The sound is “just the wind”. Lazarus believes that the way we interpret or react to an event can often have a more powerful impact on our stress level than the event itself!

Paul Ekman

Universal emotions (all cultures). Identified every muscle in the human face and then every possible combination of facial muscles

Facial Feedback Hypothesis

facial expressions can influence our emotional experiences and attitudes.

Display Rule

A social group or culture's informal norms about how to appropriately express emotions

Individualist cultures often express their emotions more, in speech & body. However, all cultures exhibit the worldwide smiles, frowns, & angry faces of humanity