ASYNCH6 Theories of emotions

Can we define emotions

there is no one definition, it is a multi-component phenomena

Name 3 theories of emotion

James-Lange theory of emotion, cannon-bard theory of emotion and Schacter-singer theory of emotion

What is the James-Lange Theory of Emotion?

physiological responses precede and dictate the emotional experience

According to James-Lange, how do we feel emotions?

through feedback from organs and muscles

Why does James-Lange theory of emotion lack explanatory power

does not explain the causes of emotional response

Why is it difficult to generalise James-Language theory of feeling emotions

every body will respond differently

How did Hohman evidence James-Lange theory of emotion (studied what bodily injury?)

the impact of a spinal cord injury in altering emotional feeling

What were the findings of Hohman’s (1966) spinal cord study?

more extensive spinal injuries, the greater the decrease in emotional feelings

What links the spinal cord to emotional feelings (according to Hohman)

autonomic nervous system

3 major limitations of Hohman’s study

experimenter bias, no pre-injury assessment and no control group

What theory of emotion was in response and opposite to James-Lange theory + what did it differentiate

Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, bodily changes and emotional experiences occur independently of each other

What role does the thalamus play in the Cannon-Bard theory?

It mediates emotions and bodily reactions

What cat experiment did Cannon conduct to challenge James-Lange?

Severed sympathetic nerves in cats.

What did Cannon’s cat experiment demonstrate?

Cats still demonstrated (not feeling technically) emotions despite lacking bodily feedback.

How did the Cannon-Bard theory influence modern neuroscience?

It introduced the brain’s role in emotions.

What is the Schachter-Singer (Two-Factor) Theory of Emotion?

Emotion = physiological arousal + cognitive interpretation

What was the Schachter-Singer experiment?

Adrenaline injection + environmental cues influenced emotions.

What are the 2 limitations of the Schachter-Singer theory (in terms of reliability and explanatory power)?

Difficult to replicate and lacks neural explanation.