REVIEW: Schachter and Singer

james-lang theory of emotion

physical changes in the body happen first, which leads to the experience of emotion (physical response leads to emotional response)

cannon-bard theory of emotion

(aka thalamic theory of emotion) states that we feel emotions and experience physiological reactions simultaneously

two-factor theory of emotion

the idea that emotional experience is the result of a two-step self-perception process in which people first experience physiological arousal and then seek an appropriate explanation/label for it (stimulus → physical arousal → cognitive label → conscious experience of the emotion)

what is cognition?

the mental process of acquiring and processing knowledge

what is emotion?

the body's adaptive response to a situation

what is physiological arousal (in this study)?

your heart rate, respiration rate, pupils dilate, and adrenaline

aim

to test the two-factor theory of emotion

3 hypotheses

1. if a person experiences a state of arousal for which they have no immediate explanation, they will label this state and describe their feelings in terms of the cognitions available to them at the time


2. if a person experiences a state of arousal for which they have an appropriate explanation, then they will be unlikely to label their feelings in terms of the alternative cognitions available
3. if a person is put in a situation, which in the past could have made them feel an emotion, they will react emotionally or experience emotions only if they are in a state of physiological arousal

method

laboratory experiment

design

independent measures (independent groups)

IV (2)

1. knowledge about the injections (informed, misinformed, and ignorant)
2. the emotional situation following the injection (euphoric or anger)

DV (2) -

1. observational data that was recorded by 2 observers through a 1-way mirror during the emotional arousal element (euphoric or anger)
2. the self-report that participants completed following the emotional arousal

what are the 4 stages of the euphoric condition?

1. joins activity
2. initiates a new activity
3. watches stooge
4. ignores stooge

what are the 6 stages of the anger condition?

1. agreed with comment
2. disagreed with comment
3. neutral to comment
4. initiates agreement or disagreement
5. watches stooge
6. ignores stooge

sample

184 participants (all male, college students who are taking classes in introductory psychology at the University of Minnesota)

what were the participants injected with?

participants were either injected with saline or adrenaline

what did the experimenters tell the participants at the beginning of the study?

they told them the aim of the experiment was to test the effects of vitamin supplements on vision (deceived them)

what were the three experimental conditions (if injected with adrenaline)?

1. informed
2. ignorant
3. misinformed

procedure

\-participants arrived at lab

\-told a false aim

\-gave "informed" consent for injection

\-doctor entered, gave instructions, took pulse, then injected them

\-put into 1 of 3 experimental conditions

\-had a session w/ stooge

\-experimenter announced experiment was over

\-explained the deception and answered questions

\-swore participants to secrecy

how many participants did they collect data from?

169/185 participants data was usable (1 refused injection, 11 were too suspicious (demand characteristics), and 5 had no physiological reaction)

results

\-participants injected w/ adrenaline showed significantly more sympothetic arousal than placebo

\-all participants in adrenaline condition show more evidence of physical response

\-difference between adrenaline condition + placebo condition were all significant

what were the results on euphoric conditions?

\-misinformed participants felt happiest than others

\-2nd happies: ignorant

\-shows that w/o explanation of feeling people are susceptible to stooge

what are the results on anger conditions?

\-angriest was the ignorant group

\-2nd was placebo

\-least angry: informed

\-shows they are more susceptible to stooge bc they couldn't explain what their body felt

did the findings support the two-factor theory?

schachter and singer argue that their findings support their 2 factor theory of emotion

what is the main conclusion?

if a person experiences a state of arousal for which they have no immediate explanation, then they will label this state and describe their feelings in terms of the cognitions available to them at the time

what can this study help us do?

this study can help us understand how people use different environmental cues to help them interpret their physiological state (useful in treating anxiety attacks)

has subsequent work supported these results?

\-subsequent work has shown that the relationship explored in this study is more complex than what's suggested

\-recent work has shown that more extensive work is needed

\-past experiences and knowledge about context of any behavior should also be considered