Summary post-discussion #1 Head in the clouds
Learning goals
What is the relation between arousal and emotion?
There are various theories which suggest the relation between arousal and emotion. These
are proven/disproven through various experiments.
Common sense:
Stimulus emotion arousal
James-Lange (disproven):
Every emotion is caused by specific physiological arousal (specific character)
Stimulus arousal emotion
Cannon-Bard:
According to the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, we react to a stimulus and experience the
associated emotion at the same time.
arousal
Stimulus brain activation
emotion
Experiment:
People who had gotten an injection with epinephrine felt ‘as if…’ they were angry or afraid.
The stimulant alone was not enough to produce a real emotional experience. (disproves
James-Lange)
Schachter-Singer/ Two-factor Theory:
A stimulus causes physiological arousal first. You must then identify a reason for this arousal
and then you are able to experience and label the emotion.
Stimulus arousal appraisal emotion
(This theory can easily cause misinterpretations/misattribution, because when the brain
does not know why it feels physical arousal (emotional lability) it relies on external
stimulation for cues on how to label the emotion.)
Experiment:
Injection epinephrine > blood pressure rises.
Control group = no epinephrine (placebo)
Test group 1 = aware of epinephrine injection
Test group 2= unaware of epinephrine injection
Test group 3= misinformed on the results of the injection
a) In the room with a happy confederate
b) In the room with an angry confederate
Learning goals
What is the relation between arousal and emotion?
There are various theories which suggest the relation between arousal and emotion. These
are proven/disproven through various experiments.
Common sense:
Stimulus emotion arousal
James-Lange (disproven):
Every emotion is caused by specific physiological arousal (specific character)
Stimulus arousal emotion
Cannon-Bard:
According to the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, we react to a stimulus and experience the
associated emotion at the same time.
arousal
Stimulus brain activation
emotion
Experiment:
People who had gotten an injection with epinephrine felt ‘as if…’ they were angry or afraid.
The stimulant alone was not enough to produce a real emotional experience. (disproves
James-Lange)
Schachter-Singer/ Two-factor Theory:
A stimulus causes physiological arousal first. You must then identify a reason for this arousal
and then you are able to experience and label the emotion.
Stimulus arousal appraisal emotion
(This theory can easily cause misinterpretations/misattribution, because when the brain
does not know why it feels physical arousal (emotional lability) it relies on external
stimulation for cues on how to label the emotion.)
Experiment:
Injection epinephrine > blood pressure rises.
Control group = no epinephrine (placebo)
Test group 1 = aware of epinephrine injection
Test group 2= unaware of epinephrine injection
Test group 3= misinformed on the results of the injection
a) In the room with a happy confederate
b) In the room with an angry confederate
