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Cognition and motivation in emotion.
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkley 94720.
The American Psychologist
|April 1, 1991
Summary
Cognitive appraisal is a necessary and sufficient cause of emotion, influencing development across the lifespan. Understanding how meaning is generated, including unconscious processes, deepens our knowledge of emotional responses.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Emotions are complex phenomena influenced by cognitive and motivational factors.
- The generation of meaning plays a crucial role in emotional experience.
- Existing theories on emotion often overlook the nuances of appraisal processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the role of cognition and motivation in emotion.
- To investigate the mechanisms of meaning generation and appraisal.
- To examine the implications of appraisal for lifespan development.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis of appraisal theory in emotion.
- Integration of research on infant and child emotions.
- Consideration of psychopharmacological effects on emotions.
- Review of neuroscientific perspectives on emotion.
Main Results:
- Appraisal is proposed as a necessary and sufficient cause of emotion.
- Knowledge is necessary but not sufficient for emotion.
- Multiple pathways for meaning generation, including automatic and conscious processing, are discussed.
- The concept of resonance between internal needs and environmental stimuli is explored.
Conclusions:
- Appraisal is central to understanding emotion across the lifespan.
- Unconscious and preconscious appraisal mechanisms warrant further investigation.
- A comprehensive model of emotion must account for diverse meaning-generation processes.