AP Psychology Theories of Emotions

James-lange Theory

The experience of emotion is a person’s physiological response to a stimulus. When a person experiences an event or stimulus it causes their nervous system and body to be alerted. Which causes a person to experience different emotions

Cannon-Bard Theory

A person’s physiological response to a stimulus and their emotional response happen at thesame time. The physiological response does not cause the emotion, they occur together

Schachter Two-Factor Theory

Emotions occur from physiological and cognitive awareness to a stimulus. A personencounters a stimulus which triggers them to become physiologically aroused, which thenengages their cognitive system. Which results in an emotional experience

Joseph Le Doux’s Theory

Emotions can take a direct path to the amygdala and skip the cortex. This causes a person tohave an immediate emotional response without a person being immediately aware of what ishappening

Appraisal Theory

When a person encounters a stimuli, experience, or event they assess the situation and come to a conclusion that the experience is harmless or dangerous. This happens without a person being immediately aware of it

Facial feedback Hypothesis

When people make certain facial expressions, such as when they smile, it sends information to the brain. The brain then interprets that information and can shift a person’s mood. This also can happen when we observe others expressing certain facial expressions. Other people’s expressions can influence our mood