Patterns of cognitive appraisal in emotion

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Affective Science

Background:

• Traditional models of emotion primarily use pleasantness and arousal.
• Previous research has limited the dimensional understanding of emotional experience.
• Recent theories offer new frameworks for emotion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and investigate eight novel cognitive appraisal dimensions for differentiating emotions.
• To expand the dimensional framework of emotional experience.
• To link appraisal processes to specific emotional states.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on emotion dimensions.
• Integration of appraisal theories (Roseman, 1984; Scherer, 1982).
• Empirical investigation using recalled emotional experiences and ratings on proposed dimensions.

Main Results:

• Six orthogonal cognitive appraisal dimensions were identified: pleasantness, anticipated effort, certainty, attentional activity, self-other responsibility/control, and situational control.
• Emotions systematically varied across these identified dimensions.
• A significant relationship was found between appraisal of circumstances and emotional state.

Conclusions:

• The proposed cognitive appraisal dimensions effectively differentiate emotional experiences.
• Emotional states are strongly related to the cognitive appraisal of situational factors.
• This multidimensional model enhances the understanding of the relationship between cognition and emotion.