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 two-factor theory, Cannon–Bard Theory and Opponent Process Theory.

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Motivation & Emotion

Stress

Sources Measures

Theories

Effects Coping

Motivation

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Drive Reduction

TheoryArousal Theory

Intrinsic/Extrinsic

Motivation

Human Drives

Theories of Emotion

James-Lange Cognitive Appraisal

Schachter two-factor

Cannon-Bard

Opponent Process

Explain complex motives (eating, aggression,

achievement and sex)

Essential Task 8-7:

• What are emotions?• Theories of Emotion

– James–Lange Theory– Cannon–Bard Theory– Cognitive Appraisal Theory– Schachter Two-factor theory– Opponent Process Theory

Outline

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

• Fear• Surprise• Sadness• Disgust

• Anger• Anticipation• Joy• Acceptance

• Plutchik proposed that there are eight basic emotions

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. James-Lange Theory2. Cannon-Bard Theory3. Schachter-Singer Theory4. Opponent Process Theory5. 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

LOVE?

or

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 James-Lange 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 well-

being (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

• Situation bodily reaction emotion + cognitive appraisal

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?

• Testing the theory:• Schachter & Singer 1962:

3. The Schachter theory

VERY ANGRY!

VERY EXCITED!

(know what pill does)

Least angry

Least excited

Medium angry!

(didn’t take pill)

Medium 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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