1. How We Know About Emotions
SAS IB TOK
October 31, 2007
November 2, 2007
Dr Jan Cantrill

2. Three levels of knowledge about emotions:
General---about how groups of people experience emotion
Interpersonal---about how one person detects another person’s emotions
Personal---about how you understand your own emotions

3. Emotions can be thought of as having several components:
Physiological component: How we feel in our bodies
Cognitive component: How we think about how we feel
Behavioral component: What we do when we are feeling a particular way

4. Analyze an emotional reaction
1. Pick a time that you experienced a basic emotion: anger, happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, or surprise.
2. How did your body react? What were the sensations in your body?
How did you label the emotion? What did you think about it?
What did you do?

5. How do we gain knowledge about human emotions in general?
Psychologists use the scientific method to discover information about emotional responding in general, e.g., how people in general experience emotion or what factors may influence emotional reactions

6. Scientific Method 1. Observations 2. Theory 3. Hypothesis 4. Test
5. Replication
6. Revision of the theory

7. For example…
I notice that my body feels the same, no matter what emotion I am experiencing.
I develop a theory that the body’s reaction is the same in all emotions, and it is the label that I put on my body’s response that determines what emotion I am feeling.
I make a guess based on the theory. My guess is called an hypothesis.
I test my hypothesis by designing an experiment.
I repeat the experiment (or someone else does).
I revise my theory, based on the results of the experiment.

8. Schachter’s Two-Factor Theory of Emotion
Emotions require two ingredients, physical arousal and a conscious interpretation of the arousal. The arousal is the same, but the emotional labels are different.
The more aroused a person is, the greater the emotional response.

9. Practical research results: How to deal with anger
Is it a good idea to “vent your anger?”
“Blowing off steam” may temporarily calm us, but it may also amplify the anger. Punching something may make us feel more angry, not less.
What to do? Wait until physical arousal subsides. Then, deal with the problem underlying the anger.

10. More practical research results: How to be happier
People who report feeling happy:
Have high self-esteem,
Are optimistic, outgoing, and agreeable,
Have close friendships,
Have work and leisure activities they enjoy and are good at;
Have a meaningful religious faith;
Sleep well and exercise.

11. How we know about the emotions of others in interpersonal relationships?
Nonverbal cues

12. How do we know about our own emotions?
Self-reflection: Think about your own feelings and behaviors;
Assessment: Beck Scales.

13. In psychological treatment, how can we use information about emotions to help people?
Physiological response: Reduce arousal through relaxation exercises;
Cognitive response: Reframe thinking, e.g., negative thoughts reframed into more positive ones;
Behavioral response: When feel depressed, try behaving as if you were happy.

14. Survey on the Expression of Emotions
1. Click on link below: Register as a student, with a password. There is no need to put in an instructor. 3. In the View Content by Chapter window, scroll down to and click on Chapter 13, "Emotions." 4. On the left side of the screen, in the blue area, scroll to PsychSim Tutorial, PsychSim 5: Expressing Emotion. 5. Click on the link for Expressing Emotion. 6. The first page should say, "Introduction." 7. Follow the directions.