WHS AP Psychology
Unit 8: Motivation, Emotion and Stress
Essential Task 8-7: Compare and contrast the
major theories of emotion James–Lange Theory,
Cognitive Appraisal Theory, Schachter twofactor theory, Cannon–Bard Theory and
Opponent Process Theory.
Drive
Reduction
Theory
Arousal
Theory
Maslow’s
Hierarchy
of Needs
Human
Drives
Intrinsic/
Extrinsic
Motivation
Theories
Motivation
Motivation
& Emotion
Explain complex motives
Stress
Effects
(eating, aggression,
achievement and sex)
Theories of
Emotion
James-Lange
Cannon-Bard
Measures
Sources
Opponent
Process
Cognitive
Appraisal
Schachter
two-factor
Coping
We are
here
Essential
Task
8-7:
Outline
• What are emotions?
• Theories of Emotion
– James–Lange Theory
– Cannon–Bard Theory
– Cognitive Appraisal Theory
– Schachter Two-factor theory
– Opponent Process Theory
Emotion
• The experience of feelings
• Can activate and affect behavior but it is
more difficult to predict the behavior
prompted by a motivation
Basic Emotions
• Plutchik proposed that there are eight
basic emotions
•
•
•
•
Fear
Surprise
Sadness
Disgust
•
•
•
•
Anger
Anticipation
Joy
Acceptance
Plutchik’s Basic Emotions
Basic Emotions
• Some have criticized Plutchik’s model as applying only to
English-speakers
• Primary vs. Secondary Emotions
–
–
–
–
Be evident in all cultures
Contribute to survival
Distinct facial expression
Evident in Nonhuman primates
• Revised model of basic emotions includes:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Happiness
Surprise
Sadness
Fear
Disgust
Anger
Theories
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
James-Lange Theory
Cannon-Bard Theory
Schachter-Singer Theory
Opponent Process Theory
Cognitive-Appraisal Theory
James-Lange Theory
William James and Carl
Lange proposed an
idea that was
diametrically opposed
to the common-sense
view. The James-Lange
Theory proposes that
physiological activity
precedes the emotional
experience.
James-Lange theory
Body = emotion
“Without the bodily states following on the
perception, the latter would be purely cognitive in
form; pale, colorless, destitute of emotional warmth.
We might then see the bear, and judge it best to
run... But we should not actually feel afraid.” (William
James, 1890)
James, 1890, v. 2, p. 449 (Gleitman)
James-Lange theory
2. James-Lange theory
• Testing the theory:
• Hypothesis 1: You need the body in order to feel
emotions.
• Test: Interview people with high vs. low spinal
cord injuries
High spinal cord injury:
“Sometimes I act angry... But it doesn’t have the heat to it
that it used to. It’s a mental kind of anger.”
Hohman, 1966, pp. 150-151 (Carlson)
James-Lange theory
• Testing the theory:
• Hypothesis 1: You need the body in
order to feel emotions.
– Results 1: The body may be necessary
to have a full emotional experience.
James-Lange theory
• Testing the theory:
• Hypothesis 1: You need the body in order to feel
emotions
– Results 1: The body may be necessary to have a full
emotional experience.
• Hypothesis 2: All you need is your
body to know what emotion to feel.
James-Lange theory
• Situation
 bodily reaction  emotion

FEAR
 or
LOVE?
James-Lange theory
• Testing the theory:
• Hypothesis 1: You need the body in order to feel
emotions
– Results 1: The body may be necessary to have a full
emotional experience.
• Hypothesis 2: The body can tell you
precisely which emotion to feel.
– Test: Gave people a dose of adrenaline:
“I feel as if I’m angry or afraid”
James-Lange theory
• Testing the theory:
• Hypothesis 1: You need the body in
order to feel emotions
– Results 1: The body may be
necessary to have a full emotional
experience.
• Hypothesis 2: The body can tell you
precisely which emotion to feel.
– Results 2: The body is not ALL that is
necessary to have a fully emotional
experience.
Facial-Feedback
– Stimuls invokes physiological arousal
including movement of facial muscles
– Brain interprets facial expression which
gives rise to your emotion
– Sequence
• Stimulus (See snake)
• Make a face (fearful)
• Brain reads face
• Emotion (fear)
Spill over effect
An arousal response to one event spills over
into our response to the next event. Spill over
effect
Arousal from a soccer match can fuel anger, which may
lead to rioting.
Arousal fuels emotion, cognition channels it.
Cannon-Bard Theory
Walter Cannon and
Phillip Bard
questioned the JamesLange Theory and
proposed that an
emotion-triggering
stimulus and the
body's arousal take
place simultaneously.
Cannon-Bard Theory
• See snake, run and fear
simultaneous
• Stimulus to thalamus -- sends
simultaneous messages to:
– Lymbic system (arousal)
– Cortex (fear)
Cognitive-Appraisal Theory
• Sequence
– Stimulus (object, event, or thought)
– Appraisal of how this affects your wellbeing (consciously or unconsciously)
– Emotion (fear, anger, happiness, …)
– Physiological responses and behavior
• For an emotion to occur, it is
necessary to first think about the
situation.
Cognition and Emotion
What is the connection between how we
think (cognition) and how we feel
(emotion)?
Can we change our emotions by changing
our thinking?
Schachter-Singer Theory
Two-Factor Theory
Stanley Schachter and
Jerome Singer
proposed yet another
theory which suggests
our physiology and
cognitions create
emotions. Emotions
have two factors–
physical arousal and
cognitive label.
The Schachter theory
 bodily reaction  emotion
+ cognitive appraisal
• Situation
FEAR


LOVE
3. The Schachter theory
• Testing the theory:
• Hypothesis: The same bodily reaction
will cause one emotion in one
situation, and another emotion in a
different situation.
– Give people a dose of adrenaline;
– Put them in different situations;
– What happens?
3. The Schachter theory
• Testing the theory:
• Schachter & Singer 1962:
(didn’t take pill)
(know what
pill does)
VERY ANGRY!
Medium angry!
Least angry
VERY EXCITED!
Medium excited!
Least excited
Opponent Process Theory
• Opponent process theory suggests that
any given emotion also has an opposed
emotion. (Fear/Relief or
Sadness/Happiness)
• Activation of one member of the pair
automatically suppresses the opposite
emotion
• But the opposing emotion can serve to
diminish the intensity of the initial
emotion.
Opponent-Process Theory
• Solomon and Corbit (1974)
– The opponent-process theory states that
when one emotion is experienced, the
other is suppressed. For example, if you
are frightened by a mean dog, the
emotion of fear is expressed and relief is
suppressed. If the fear-causing stimulus
continues to be present, after a while the
fear decreases and the relief intensifies.
Opponent Process Theory
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