Week 4: Cognition & Emotions: Evaluation: Interpretation and Appraisal

Question 1

A particular set of psychological interpretations of
the current situation.

Answer 1

Appraisals

Question 2

Participants held a pen either with their teeth (mimicking a smile) or lips (mimicking sadness).
Those holding the pen with their teeth rated comics as funnier.

This challenges our intuitive understanding of emotions and suggests that bodily sensations play a significant role in shaping our emotional states.

Answer 2

Strack’s Pen Study

Question 3

This theory states that our physical reactions to a stimulus precede and cause our emotional experience.

Answer 3

James-Lange Theory of Emotion

Question 4

This theory suggests that emotional experiences and physiological changes occur simultaneously. In other words, when we encounter a stimulus, our brain processes the information and sends signals to both the body and the mind at the same time.

Answer 4

Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion

Question 5

Emotions are a result of both physiological arousal and cognitive appraisal (interpretation of the situation).

The theory emphasizes situations where people are uncertain about the source of their arousal.

Answer 5

Schachter & Singer’s Two Factor Theory of Emotion

Question 6

A psychological phenomenon where individuals incorrectly identify the source of their physiological arousal.

Answer 6

False Attribution Errors

Question 7

Occurs when individuals experience unexplained arousal and look for external cues to label their emotional state.

Answer 7

Misattribution

Question 8

Two Ancillary Positions of Schachter & Singer’s Theory of Emotions

Answer 8

1) Misattribution of Arousal: When people experience unexplained arousal, they look to their environment for cues to label their emotional state.

2) Appropriate Explanation: When people understand the source of their arousal, they are less likely to misattribute it to external factors.

Question 9

A pioneering investigation of how emotions influence our appraisals of the world around us

Answer 9

Smith & Ellsworth’s Study (1985)

Question 10

This research provides compelling evidence for the impact of emotions on decision-making.

Even when emotions might seem unrelated to a decision, they can subtly shape our perceptions and choices.

Answer 10

Lerner & Keltner’s Study (2001)

Question 11

Occurs when people appraise events as harmful, threatening, or challenging, and these events are perceived to tax or exceed ones resources.

Answer 11

Stress

Question 12

Trying to manage demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s resources.

Answer 12

Coping

Question 13

One of the most infl uential frameworks for understanding how people process potentially stressful experiences.

Appraisals can be separated into:
1) Primary Appraisal
2) Secondary appraisal

Answer 13

Lazarus’ Cognitive-Motivational-Relational Theory

Question 14

Characterised by an assessment of whether the event is congruent with their own goals and how relevant the event is for themselves.

Answer 14

Primary Appraisal

Question 15

An assessment of the options that are available to the person for coping with the event - especially when it is eliciting negative emotions - and what resources
are available to do so.

Answer 15

Secondary Appraisal

Question 16

An individual’s belief in their ability to successfully manage stressful demands or challenges.

Answer 16

Coping Potential

Question 17

The person’s assessment that they have resources to deal with a negative event and how the problem can be tackled.

Answer 17

Coping Potential

Question 18

The perception that one is able to perform a certain
action.

Answer 18

Self-Efficacy

Question 19

Coping potential where the individual is trying to change the situation.

Answer 19

Problem-Focused Coping

Question 20

Coping potential where the individual is managing emotional responses to the situation.

Answer 20

Emotion-Focused Coping

Question 21

The way we think about events influences our emotions and actions.

Answer 21

Interpretation Bias

Question 22

A technique to directly modify cognitive processes involved in dysfunctional thoughts.

It primarily focuses on altering information processing patterns through repetitive exposure to specific tasks.

Answer 22

Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM)

Question 23

The tendency to overestimate the likelihood of positive events happening to oneself and underestimate the likelihood of negative events.

Answer 23

Optimism Bias

Question 24

A systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment.

Answer 24

Cognitive Bias

Question 25

Exposure to stressful or challenging life circumstances.

Answer 25

Environmental Adversity

Question 26

Symptoms of a disorder that do not meet the full criteria for a diagnosis.

Answer 26

Subsyndromal Symptoms

Question 27

A cognitive bias where people seek out information that supports their existing beliefs and ignore contradictory evidence.

Answer 27

Confirmation Bias

Question 28

An intrusion into awareness can be interpreted
diff erently by diff erent people and that these interpretations lead to different emotions.

So misinterpretation of the same situation leads to diff erent concerns and are associated with different disorders.

Answer 28

Cognitive Model os Psychosis

Question 29

What seems important for causing distress is not the experiences themselves, but rather how they
are interpreted by the individual.

Answer 29

Cognitive Model of Psychosis (Morrison, 2001)

Question 30

A state of extreme worry, sadness, or pain.

It’s a negative emotional response to a challenging or overwhelming situation

Answer 30

Distress

Question 31

A collaborative process between therapist and client to develop a shared understanding of the client’s difficulties.

It involves identifying the factors that contribute to the client’s problems, such as their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and relationships.

Answer 31

Individual Formulation

Question 32

Are long-held assumptions or convictions about oneself, others, and the world. They develop over time and significantly influence how individuals perceive and respond to events.

Answer 32

Pre-existing Beliefs