Schachter and Singer’s theory of emotion.

One of the most influential theories of emotion in the history of psychology.

In basic psychology, there are many theories that try to explain the origin of emotions (psychological, cognitive, biological, social,...). In this article we will talk about one in particular, Schachter and Singer's Theory of Emotion..

This is a bifactorial theory that involves two factors: physiological activation and cognitive attribution. We are going to see what it consists of, studies carried out by the same authors and which are its main postulates.

Schachter and Singer's theory of emotion: characteristics.

Schachter and Singer's Theory of Emotion states that the origin of emotions comes, on the one hand, from the interpretation we make of the organism's peripheral physiological responses, and from the cognitive evaluation of the situation, on the other hand, that originates such physiological responses.

What determines the intensity of the emotion felt by the person is the way in which he or she interprets these physiological responses. the way in which he/she interprets such physiological responses.On the other hand, the quality of the emotion is determined by the way in which he or she cognitively evaluates the situation that has provoked such responses.

Thus, while the intensity can be low, medium or high, the quality is the type of emotion (e.g. fear, sadness, joy,...).

Related studies and research

To test Schachter and Singer's Theory of Emotion, the authors themselves conducted an experiment in 1962 and published their results. What they did was administered an injection of epinephrine (adrenaline), a hormone that increases heart rate and Blood pressure, in order toa hormone that increases heart rate and blood pressure, to a group of volunteer subjects.

They then formed 4 experimental groups with these subjects at random (all of equal sizes). While 2 of the groups were informed that the injection would cause some physiological effects in their body, the other 2 groups were not given this information.

On the other hand, one of the 2 informed groups was put in a situation that induced them to be happy, while the other group of informed subjects was put in a situation that induced them to be angry. In addition, the same was done with the other 2 groups of subjects with the no information condition; one was induced a happy situation and the other an angry situation.

Results

What was seen in the results was that Schachter and Singer's Emotion Theory could be broadly confirmed. This was because subjects informed of the effects of the injection were not likely to feel particularly angry. were not prone to feel especially angry or sadThey attributed their physiological reaction to the effects of the adrenaline injection itself.

It may be thought that their cognitive evaluation of the information they had been given motivated them to think that the physiological reactions of the organism stemmed from the injection itself.

However, in the case of subjects uninformed of the effects of adrenaline, the "opposite" occurred; they did experience the physiological responses (activation) (same as the previous group), but they did not attribute such responses to the effects of the injection, as they had not been informed of it.

Hypothesis

It can be hypothesized that the uninformed subjects, having no explanation for their physiological activation, would attribute it to some emotion. Such an emotion they would look for it in the emotion "available" at that moment; for example, joy or anger induced by the researchers.

When they found it, they found "their" explanation: they then they adjusted their emotion to the situationIn the case of the uninformed subjects in a joyful situation, they behaved in a joyful way, and claimed to feel that way. However, the uninformed subjects in an angry situation reacted angrily and claimed to feel that way as well.

Principles of the theory

Also in relation to Schachter and Singer's Theory of Emotion, Schachter himself, in 1971, carried out further work, and established three principles that attempt to explain human emotional behavior:

1. Labeling emotions

When a state of physiological arousal (physiological responses) is experienced, and the person experiencing it does not have an explanation at the time for such arousal, what he/she will do is "label" that state and describe what he/she feels in relation to the emotion that is available to him/her at that moment. that is available to him/her at that moment (or, in other words, the emotion he/she feels at that moment).

Thus, the state of physiological activation itself can be labeled as "sadness", "fear" or "joy", for example (or whatever emotion it is), according to the cognitive evaluation of the situation that has generated such activation.

2. When no labeling is performed

The second principle of Schachter and Singer's Theory of Emotion states that, in the event that the individual has a complete explanation for the physiological arousal he or she is feeling (e.g., "I feel this way because I have been injected with adrenaline, or because I have taken X drug"), then no cognitive assessment of the situation is necessary..

In this case, it will be difficult for the person to "label" the emotion they are feeling as they would in the previous case.

3. Experiencing physiological activation

The third assumption says that, faced with the same cognitive situations, the individual will describe/label his feelings as emotions (or react emotionally) only when he experiences a state of physiological activation (this, as we know, involves a series of physiological responses, e.g. increased heart rate).