MODULE 37 PREVIEW
Emotions are psychological responses that involve an interplay among (1) physiological arousal, (2)
expressive behavior, and (3) conscious experience.
James and Lange argued that we feel emotion after we notice our bodily responses; Cannon and
Bard contended that we feel emotion when our body responds. Stanley Schachter’s two-factor theory
states that to experience emotion we must be aroused and must cognitively label the emotion. Although
some psychologists agree that emotions arise from our interpretations and inferences, others maintain
that some simple emotional responses occur without any conscious processing. Many emotions can be
placed along two basic dimensions: arousal and valence.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES
1. To present the major theories of emotion.
2. To describe the basic dimensions of emotion.
MODULE GUIDE
Introductory Exercise: Fact or Falsehood?
Lecture: Would You Like Never to Be Sad Again, Etc.?
Videos: Discovering Psychology:Motivation and Emotion; Emotion
The James-Lange and Cannon-Bard Theories
1. Identify the three components of emotion, and contrast the James-Lange and Cannon-Bard
theories of emotion.
Emotions are psychological responses that involve an interplay among (1) physiological arousal, (2)
expressive behavior, and (3) conscious experience.
The James-Lange theory states that our experience of an emotion is a consequence of our physiological
response to a stimulus; we are afraid because our heart pounds (say, in response to an approaching
stranger). The Cannon-Bard theory, on the other hand, proposes that the physiological response and
subjective experience of emotion occur simultaneously. Heart pounding and fear occur at the same
time—one does not cause the other.
Exercise: Facial Feedback and the James-Lange Theory of Emotion
Transparency: 132 Theories of Emotion: James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory
Cognition and Emotion
2. Describe Schachter’s two-factor theory of emotion, and discuss evidence suggesting that some emotional
reactions involve no conscious thought.
Schachter’s two-factor theory states that to experience emotion one must (1) be physically aroused and
(2) cognitively label the arousal. Robert Zajonc believes that some simple emotional responses occur
instantly before any cognitive processing occurs. In other words, we feel some emotions before we think.
Research indicates that when people repeatedly view stimuli flashed too briefly for them to perceive and
recall, they nevertheless come to prefer these stimuli. Moreover, some neural pathways involved in
emotion bypass the cortical areas involved in thinking. One such pathway runs from the eye via the
thalamus to one of the brain’s emotional control centers, the amygdala. This enables a quick, automatic
response, which may then be modified after the cortex has further interpreted a threat. While some
emotional responses—especially simple likes, dislikes, and fears—involve no conscious thinking,
complex emotions—including moods such as depression—are greatly affected by our interpretations,
memories, and expectations.
Lectures: Cognitive Appraisals and Emotion; Public and Private Self-Consciousness
Exercise: The Mood Awareness Scale
Transparency: 133a and b Two Routes for Sensory Stimuli to Activate Emotions
Two Dimensions of Emotion
3. Describe how emotions can be differentiated along the dimensions of valence and arousal level.
When psychologists have asked people to report their experiences of different emotions, all seem to
place emotions along the dimensions of pleasant versus unpleasant (the emotion’s valence) and high
versus low arousal. The valence dimension can be seen in successful exam takers who—more than their
less successful counterparts—label arousal as energizing rather than threatening. On the arousal
dimension “terrified” is more frightened than “afraid” and “delighted” is happier than “happy.”
Exercises: The AffectGrid; The Affect Intensity Measure
Transparency: 134 Two Dimensions of Emotion