AS level Psychology The Core studies

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AS level PsychologyThe Core studies
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Cognitive, Social and Physiological Determinants
of Emotional State

• Stanley Schachter and Jerome E. Singer (1962)

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Stanley Schachter 1922 - 1997
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Schachter and Singer (1962)

• The Question...
• How do we recognise the emotions we feel?
• Cognitive labelling of emotional states

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Some background.

• If we see a bull charging towards us
• Do we run because we are scared
• or
• Are we scared because we run?

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Some background.

• How do we know which emotion we are feeling?
• Write down FIVE different emotions

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The James-Lange theory

• That emotions are read out of the physiological
  signs
• heart rate, blood pressure, sweat, breathing.
  etc
• but that would mean a different physiological
  state for each emotion

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The Cannon-Bard theory

• We see the charging bull
• and then
• (a) Physiological changes occur
• (b) We cognitively recognise fear
• independent processes with no direct link between
  them
• but with a common trigger

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Schachter and Singer

• James was wrong - there are not enough
  physiological states
• Cannon Bard wrong - ANS arousal and emotional
  states are linked

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Schachter and Singer

• Testing the theory that
• a stimulus causes the physiological arousal
• (the charging bull)
• and then that ..
• We look around for cues to tell us what the
  emotion is?

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Schachter and Singer

• What they did?
• The cognitive labelling theory of emotion
• The participants
• 184 male students of psychology
• (American)
• rewarded by two extra points on their final exam
  for every hour they took part

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Schachter and Singer

• Procedure
• Ps were told that the experiment was testing how
  a vitamin compound called SUPROXIN affects vision
• That they were to be injected with this VITAMIN
  but that any who objected could withdraw.. Some
  did

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Schachter and Singer

• All told they were receiving a SUPROXIN injection
• Group 1 - given an injection of adrenaline -
  which causes increased heart rate, blood pressure
  and flushing
• Group 2 given a placebo - an injection of saline
  which causes no effect

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Schachter and Singer

• ADRENALINE group divided into three groups
• INFORMED - told of the side effects of adrenaline
• IGNORANT - told nothing
• MISINFORMED - told they might experience head
  ache, numbness in their feet

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Schachter and Singer

• Placebo group told nothing
• So the scene is set for the physiological arousal
  of some participants

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Schachter and Singer

• How did Schachter and Singer produce the
  emotional state?
• In order to create the emotional cues the
  participants were placed into two further groups
• Another IV
• Euphoria or Anger condition

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Schachter and Singer

• Each participant taken and introduced to another
  participant (a stooge)
• Euphoria - the stooge engaged in manic activities
  aimed to create a sense of euphoria - threw balls
  at waste paper basket, flew paper planes, twirled
  a hula hoop and other such hilarious games

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Schachter and Singer

• Each participant taken and introduced to another
  participant (a stooge)
• Anger - both participant and stooge given long
  questionnaire
• VERY personal and insulting questions - the
  stooge pretended to get VERY angry
• Finally - ripped up his questionnaire and stamped
  out

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Schachter and Singer

• NOTE
• Ps in the misinformed condition were only exposed
  to the euphoric stooge -
• S S thought this would be enough to evaluate
  their state

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Schachter and Singer

• SUMMARY of CONDITIONS
• informed ignorant misinformed
• placebo E/A
• adrenalin E/A E/A E

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Schachter and Singer

• THE RESULTS
• 2 ways of measuring the emotional states?
• 1st DV
• Ps behaviour observed through a one way mirror -
  two experimenters recorded how the Ps behaved in
  response - did they join in, or ignore -
  (Activity index)

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Schachter and Singer

• THE RESULTS
• 2 ways of measuring the emotional states?
• 2nd DV
• Self report scales - Ps told that mood could
  affect vision, asked to self report emotions

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Schachter and Singer

• THE RESULT
• 2nd DV
• critical questions -
• How irritated or angry do you feel now
• How good or happy are you at present
• measured on a FIVE point scale
• 0 not at all angry
• 4 I feel extremely angry

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Schachter and Singer

• THE RESULTS
• also asked
• Did you feel any palpitations, own heart beat
• the misinformed group
• Did you feel any numbness
• (also rated on 5 point scale)

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Schachter and Singer

• THE DEBRIEFING
• Participants were told the true purpose of the
  experiment
• asked if they had any suspicions about the
  experimental procedures

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Schachter and Singer

• RESULTS
• Ps in the ADRENALIN condition showed more
  sympathetic arousal than those in the placebo
  condition
• Ps in the ignorant or misinformed groups rated
  their euphoria higher than in the informed
  condition

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Schachter and Singer

• RESULTS
• Ps in the ignorant or misinformed groups rated
  their euphoria higher than in the informed
  condition
• supports the hypothesis as they had no other
  explanation for their physiological response (to
  the adrenalin )

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Schachter and Singer

• RESULTS
• Misinformed behaved more euphorically than did
  the ignorant
• Ignorant behaved more euphorically than the
  informed
• mis ig inf
• 22.56 18.28 12.78

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Schachter and Singer

• RESULTS
• ANGER - there was less difference between the
  groups
• but they might have been reluctant to show anger
  as they may have feared losing their exam points!

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Schachter and Singer

• RESULTS
• the results of the placebo group were ambiguous

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Schachter and Singer

• CONCLUSION
• people label their emotional state according to
  available cognitions
• If there is NO physiological arousal, cognitive
  cues to emotion have no effect

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Schachter and Singer

• SUMMARY
• Schachter and Singer conclude that
• First we feel the physiological state
• Then we look around for a clue to tell us what
  we are feeling.

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EVALUATION Criticism

• Another REDUCTIONIST explanation for emotion
• BUT
• You should read up the
• Dutton and Aron study
• Falling in love on a suspension bridge

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Schachter and Singer

• ETHICS?
• How can this be criticised?

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Schachter and Singer

• METHODOLOGY?
• LAB Experiment
• What are the disadvantages?
• What are the advantages?

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Schachter and Singer

• How many groups?
• What were the IVs?
• How were the DVs measured?

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Schachter and Singer

• This experiment has never been replicated
• The results may not be reliable
• THE END