the james lange theory of emotion

What did James - Lange believe about emotions ?

they believed emotions were simply us perceiving physical changes in the body which the brain interprets and concludes which emotions are being felt

Explain the James - Lange theory ?

EVENT leads to AROUSAL leads to INTERPRETATION leads to EMOTION

Gute an example of James - Lange theory ?

growling dog - increased heart rate - brain interprets it - fear

What happens if there are no physiological changes in the body or these are not noticed ?

No emotion will be experienced

State one evaluation of the theory ?

point - there’s evidence that contradicts this theory of emotion

explanation - according to the James-Lange theory, physiological responses should be necessary to experience emotion but researchers have shown that ppl with muscle paralysis & a lack of sensation can still experience emotions

link - therefore, this research decreases the validity of the James-Lange theory of emotion

State another evaluation of this theory ?

point - there are diff theories that contradict the theory

explanation - cannon-bard theory suggests emotional responses occur too quickly to be products of physical states, when u encounter danger u will feel afraid before you start to experience the physical symptoms associated with fear. They also suggested ppl can experience physiological reactions linked to emotions without acc feeling those

link - therefore, the other explanation is better because it explains things which James - Lange cannot which reduces the validity of the James - Lange theory of emotion