Lesson 3

• What is an emotion?

  A strong feeling or mood that has important motivational properties driving an individual to think and behave in a certain way
• What does the James Lang theory of emotions suggest?

  The art experience of physiological changes comes first, and then the brain interpret this as emotion
• What is the order to events following the theory?

  Event → Arousal → Interpretation → Emotion
• Following their Theory, a stressor or threat in the environment activates what?

  The hypothalamus which instructs the sympathetic nervous system to start working
• Adrenaline is then released, creating what?

  Physiological arousal, experienced as an increase in bodily activity. This is the beginning of the fight or flight response
• The brain interprets these physiological changes which results in what?

  Emotion
• According to the theory if there are no physiological changes in our body then what will happen?

  No emotion will be experienced
• What real life examples back up the theory?

  Emotional States seem to follow physiological arousels in cases such as phobias or panic disorders
• What research is there to back up the theory?

  Research found when participants were asked to mimic emotions there was a slight change in their physiological functions like heart rate, showing a relationship between emotions and the body
• Why is the theory likely to be unreliable?

  The theory was first proposed over 100 years ago and does not make use of modern scientific methods
• Which Theory challenges the James Lang Theory?

  The cannon board Theory which argues that we experience emotions at the same time as physiological arousal. He also argued some physiological changes do not necessarily lead to an emotion, like exercising
• Which Theory challenges James lang's?

  The two Factor theory of emotion as it is better / more detailed. It explains how people interpret this same physiological reactions differently depending on the context and social cues