Neuroscience findings are consistent with appraisal theories of emotion; but does the brain "respect" constructionism?
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Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation
Published on: August 26, 2011
1Swiss Center for Affective Sciences (SCAS), University of Geneva, CH-1205 Geneva, Switzerland. Klaus.Scherer@unige.ch
Abstract:
I reject Lindquist et al.'s implicit claim that all emotion theories other than constructionist ones subscribe to a "brain locationist" approach. The neural mechanisms underlying relevance detection, reward, attention, conceptualization, or language use are consistent with many theories of emotion, in particular componential appraisal theories. I also question the authors' claim that the meta-analysis they report provides support for the specific assumptions of constructionist theories.
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