Understanding Emotion: Key Concepts and Theories

These flashcards cover the key concepts and theories regarding emotions, physiological and cognitive experiences, and the cultural aspects of emotional expression.

Emotion

A response of the whole organism involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience.

Elicitors

Stimuli or situations that trigger or 'elicit' a specific emotion in a person.

Affect

A person's observable emotional state, expressed through facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language.

Physiological Experience

Physical bodily sensations or changes that occur in response to a stimulus, like increased heart rate or sweating.

Cognitive Experience

Mental processes involved in interpreting and understanding a stimulus, including thoughts, beliefs, and perceptions.

James-Lange Theory

Theory stating that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli.

Cannon-Bard Theory

Theory asserting that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion.

Schachter-Singer Two-Factor Theory

Theory stating that to experience emotion, one must be physically aroused and cognitively label that arousal.

Facial-Feedback Hypothesis

The idea that a person's facial expressions can directly influence their emotional experience.

Zajonc-LeDoux Theory

Theory suggesting that some emotional reactions occur apart from or even before conscious interpretation of a situation.

Lazarus Theory

Theory positing that cognitive appraisal, sometimes without awareness, defines our emotional responses.

Broaden-Build Theory

Theory explaining how positive emotions broaden thought-action repertoires and build enduring personal resources.

Universal Emotions

Fundamental emotional expressions recognized across all cultures, including joy, anger, interest, disgust, surprise, sadness, and fear.

Display Rules

Culturally specific norms dictating how and when individuals should express their emotions.

Sympathetic Nervous System

Part of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body for action, contributing to responses to fear, anxiety, or anger.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Part of the autonomic nervous system that relaxes the body and returns it to normal after arousal.

Polygraph

A machine used to attempt to detect lies by measuring physiological indicators of emotion such as perspiration, heart rate, and breathing.

Emotion Detection

The ability to read emotional content through body movements, facial expressions, and voice tones.